


Back to You

by dianesmalone



Category: Cheers
Genre: Completed, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2020-05-18 12:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 47,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19334137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dianesmalone/pseuds/dianesmalone
Summary: After moving to the cabin in Maine that Sumner suggested for finishing her book, Diane struggles to move on from her past. She and Sam reunite and deal with the struggles of being in a long distance relationship.





	1. Chapter 1

Diane lets out a sigh as she walks into the quiet cabin and closes the door behind her. 

She felt stuck. Why was she even here? This book was going absolutely nowhere. It seemed pointless to be here. In the month she had been gone, she had accomplished little to nothing with her book. 

She wasn’t sure what to do. Was she to stay here in this cabin that rested just outside of a quiet village? Or maybe she could return home? But could she really? 

Diane didn’t think anyone in Boston would want to see her anymore. Certainly not Carla, not Frasier, Norman or Clifford, maybe not even Woody. The one person she hoped would want to see her probably wouldn’t want to either. Why would Sam want to see her? She left him after everything they had gone through together. 

The blonde slides out of her jacket and sets it on her coat hanger. She then walks over to the couch and sighs once more as she sits. She needed some sort of sign. What was she going to do? 

“Oh please... universe... God... whoever is listening out there... please just give me a sign” Diane begs. She hadn’t felt this hopeless in awhile. 

Just then, Diane hears a crash upstairs and her cat screech. Oh no. Something must’ve fallen and hurt her kitty. 

“Mr. Whiskers!” She squeals and jumps off the couch, making a b-line for the upstairs. God she hoped her precious kitty was okay. She didn’t want to lose him too. 

Diane runs into her bedroom and finds her cat on the floor, thankfully unharmed but staring in freight at the picture he had knocked over. 

“Oh Mr. Whiskers! I told you to be careful when you’re lounging around in here!” Diane lightly scolds as she picks up the Siamese cat from the ground and gently pets him. 

Once he is calm again, Diane sets him down in the hall so he can run off somewhere for awhile. 

Diane was relieved that nothing had happened to him and it was only just a broken picture frame, nothing major. 

She then walks over to said frame and slowly turns it over. Her heart drops the second she sees what picture had been knocked over. It was a picture of her and Sam from the day after they had moved in together. 

Of all pictures this was the one her kitty had to knock over? 

It was her fault for having the picture displayed in the first place but she could never bring herself to put it away. She cherished that memory dearly and god did she ever miss Sam. 

Her eyes start to prick with tears but she shakes her head and gathers the broken picture frame. Slowly, she moves the picture from it and holds it gently between her fingers. 

It felt like just yesterday that she and Sam had bought their first home together. It was one of the happiest moments of her life. 

Diane stares at the picture for longer than she intended. She didn’t want to tear away from it and stop thinking about the memory. Or about him. That’s when it finally hits her. 

“Oh. Oh wow. Okay. Not the way I was expecting to be given a sign but I suppose the world does work in mysterious ways” she says and very gently sets the picture down.

Quickly, Diane tosses out the picture frame and rushes down the stairs. She knew what she needed to do, there wasn’t any time to waste. 

“Cheers” his voice rings through her ears as he answers the phone. 

Hearing his voice after nearly a month made her heart pound. It made her miss him even more. 

Diane hesitates for a moment. Maybe this wasn’t the right thing to do. How could she call a month later and expect anything? 

When nothing comes from the other end after a minute Sam speaks again “hello?”

Slowly, she breathes in and out and finally replies. “Hi. It’s me...”

Now Sam is the one who was silent. His heart begins to pound as well. Had he heard this person right? It couldn’t be Diane could it? No. Why would she be calling? 

“I... um... hang on a second” Sam replies. 

He then grabs the phone and carries it with him into his office. On his way there, he tells everyone not to bother him. Sam had no idea how long this would take or if he would be able to muster the courage to come out after this call. 

His palms were beginning to sweat as he puts the receiver back up to his ear. What would Diane possibly want? Did he even want to speak to her? 

“Diane... wh-why are you calling?” He questions shakily, unable to hide his nervousness. 

She swallows hard as her stomach clenches up. Momentarily, she closes her eyes and counts to five in her head to try and calm herself. She was just about as nervous as he was to be making this call. 

“I... I don’t know. Because I miss you. Because I want to see you. Because I’m lost here and I need someone to talk to” Diane replies.

Silence comes from the other end of the call. That causes a pang in her chest. Just as she had suspected he didn’t want to hear those things. Why had she been so foolish to do this? What a mistake. 

“I don’t expect anything from you. I know I hurt you. But...” her eyes begin to water as she speaks, “you’re the only person I trust. The only one who’s been there for me since the beginning.”

Tears stream down her face as she talks. It was true. Sam had been the only person she confided in since the beginning. Him and Coach. But mostly him. They always went to each other with their problems, always comforted the other when they were down. Not having that anymore was incredibly lonely. 

Still, he remains silent on the other end. Sam found it too hard to talk. Of course he missed her. It pained him to know she wasn’t happy. But he couldn’t let go of his pride and how he felt. He had been heartbroken for a month over her and now she wanted him? He wasn’t to sure about that. 

Diane sniffles and wipes her eyes, “I’m so sorry for everything that happened. I’m sorry for calling. But, if by chance, the man I love is still there underneath all of that hurt... and I know he is... please come to Maine. I need you” she pleads.

The phone call ends with her giving him the address of the cabin and nothing from him. It wasn’t exactly what she wanted out of the call but it was what she expected. 

Sam begins to stare down at the floor after setting the phone down. He felt bad for not saying anything but he couldn’t muster up the strength to. Tapping into his emotions wasn’t something he liked doing even if he had gotten better at it. 

He then tilts his head up and glances at the address he wrote down as she gave it to him. It only takes him a couple more seconds to make up him mind. 

Sam pulls himself out of the chair and walks out of his office quickly. The only thing he says as he’s going through the bar and toward the door is that he’d be back soon and that Carla was in charge. 

⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀  
⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀———⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀  
⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀

Hours later, Diane was wrapped up in a blanket on the couch. Her face was tear stained and still a little red from the crying that had occurred after her phone call with Sam. It was a mix of heartbreak and overall stress. 

As she sits wrapped up under a fuzzy blanket with a book in hand, a knock comes to the cabin door. Finally, her pizza was here. She couldn’t wait to eat every last bite of the meal and not even worry about how unhealthy and greasy it was going to be. 

Diane pulls herself off the couch, leaving the blanket behind as she walks toward the door. At least the pizza would comfort her tonight, maybe some alcohol she had would too.

Opening the door she says “oh hang on... let me get my wallet.”

Though when she looks at who was standing before her she quickly realized that it’s not a pizza delivery man. It was Sam.

Her eyes go wide and she stares at him for a moment. Without even giving it a second thought, she throws her arms around him. Immediately her eyes fill with tears as she holds him, she was in shock that he had came. 

Neither of them spoke as they held each other. It felt like a lifetime had passed since they last seen one another. Even though they had gone months apart before this was different. Different because Diane wasn’t sure she’d ever see him again. She had fully intended on returning in six months but part of her always worried that would fall through. 

After a few more seconds, Sam pulls back slightly to look at her. His gaze on her lasts merely seconds before he crashes his lips against hers. 

No words could describe how much Sam had missed her. They had become so close, especially in the last year and not having her around anymore made life seem less enjoyable. Being here with her now gave him hope that maybe there was still a way they could be together. 

Shocked at first, Diane doesn’t kiss him back. Though her mind quickly registers what’s happening and she begins kissing him. They kiss slow and passionately, each one of them savoring every last second. 

With his hands on her hips, Sam begins to slowly push Diane into the cabin and close the door behind him with his foot. 

Neither wanted to let go of the other. The passion between them was probably as strong as it had ever been. 

Sam then lifts the blonde with ease and lets her wrap her legs around his waist. They break for only as second as he begins carrying her, “where’s the bedroom?” He murmurs as his lips begins trailing down her neck.

She gasps at his lips on her neck, “mm.. up the stairs... down the hall... to the right” Diane answers breathlessly.

He begins to carry her up the stairs their lips meet again, devouring one another once more. Both were heavily intoxicated by their love for the other. 

⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀  
⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀———⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀  
⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀

Diane opens her eyes with a groan as the sun peaks it’s way through the curtains. Was it morning? She didn’t even remember falling asleep last night. 

She slowly turns over and there laid Sam. He was fast asleep still, as peaceful as ever. 

A smile comes to her face as she remembers the events of the previous night, it hadn’t been another dream. She had dreamt of their reunion before but now here he was next to her. She couldn’t believe it. 

Diane carefully scoots closer to him and lightly presses a kiss to his forehead. Her hand then finds his and she laces their fingers together as she lays with him. How magnificent this all was. 

It was another half an hour before Sam was awake. When he opens his eyes, he smiles as he’s greeted by the sight of his love. “Well... good morning” he whispers tiredly. 

She squeezes his hand and leans in, kissing him gently. “Good morning” she murmurs in return. 

The two lay together for a moment, taking in the fact that this was all real. They were together. 

“I have to admit, I don’t even remember falling asleep last night” Diane giggles.

He smiles again and scoots closer to her, “mm well after the second time around last night you were pretty tired. You fell asleep not long after we were done.”

“Yes well... you tend to have that effect on me” she smiles.

He chuckles at that and kisses her lips in a quick and soft peck. “You’re not the only one who was exhausted... still kind of am” Sam admits.

She raises a brow, “oh? You’re saying I’ve worn out the great Sam Malone? The bachelor of all bachelors? The man who has definitely claimed to me that he never gets tired after sex?” 

“Oh come on... I’ve never claimed that” he insists.

Diane rolls her eyes, “mhmm sure” she replies. She then leans forward and kisses him again in a slow kiss. She couldn’t help but savor it for a little longer than a regular one. 

Diane then pulls away and turns, pulling the bed sheets off of her. She slides off the bed and begins to walk toward the bathroom. 

“Hey... where are you going?” Sam whines as he watches her walk away. He figured they would stay in bed together just a little longer. 

She turns when she reaches the doorway, “to take a shower. You’re welcome to join me if you’d like.”

Diane then begins to walk out of the room knowing that there was no way he wouldn’t join her. He almost never passed up the opportunity to shower with her. 

Only seconds after Diane has stepped into the shower does Sam join her. She smiles when she sees him and right away the two were in each other’s arms.

The blonde rests her head down against his shoulder as they stand together under the water. His arms were around her waist while hers held his upper torso. 

“You know, we’re going to have to talk about last night and what it meant... and what this means for our future” she murmurs. 

A sigh comes from him, “I know. But can we not even think about that now?” Sam didn’t want to focus on what any of last night meant because it could mean losing her again. He wasn’t ready for that. 

She gently kisses his shoulder and rests her face there again. “As long as you keep holding me...”

Sam does just that, having no objections to it. He holds her as close as he can. He never wanted to leave this spot. Maybe they could just stay here and never think about the future. 

After a few minutes silence, Diane breaks it. She just needed to get one thing off of her chest. “Sam..?” She questions.

“Yeah?” He murmurs and rubs his hand up as down along her back. 

That only comforts her and makes her feel more assured about saying it, “I love you” she whispers. 

Diane knew it was risky to say that considering the circumstances. However, she couldn’t hold it back any longer and he deserved to know. She loved him. She always had and always would. 

He doesn’t respond right away, not having expected her to say those three little words. “Well... I love you too” Sam murmurs in return. It was true, and that was something he couldn’t deny.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thump Thump Thump._

__

The sound of the headboard hitting the wall along with their moans filled the bedroom of the cabin. 

__

“Sam...” his name falls from her lips in a moan as his hips continued to rise and fall, meeting her own. His lips were attached to her neck, sucking and nipping away at her skin to leave behind a dark mark. 

__

It had been a month since Diane had called Sam begging him to come to Maine where she was supposed to be finishing her book. They decided that staying together was what both wanted more than anything. Now every free moment that they could be together, they were. 

__

Some days Sam would leave Cheers early and only come to the cabin so they could at least go to sleep together. Other times, he would take the day off or come on weekends so they’d have at least those certain days to be together. They switched it off as often as possible. Diane would drive down to Boston just to spend a couple of hours with him or full days. It wasn’t everyday like both wanted but they made it work.

__

Diane was still working on her novel and was determined to have it finished before the six months she promised were up. The sooner she had it done, the sooner she could be back home with Sam. 

__

Of course it wasn’t as if she couldn’t be back in Boston but being in the cabin had its perks. It drove her to solely focus on the novel and bask in the true beauty that was within nature. 

__

Her hands drag up his back, her nails lightly scratching him as they went. One hand eventually finds its way into his brunette locks and begins to gently tug at them as she falls further into pure bliss. 

__

More of her moans fill the room and are joined by his own as he finally pulls away from her neck. 

__

Diane opens her eyes again as their foreheads meet. A smile comes across her face as they gaze deeply into one another’s eyes. Sam smiles in return and murmurs that he loves her before his lips fall back on to her own.

__

Her eyes fall closed once more as they two dive into a hard, passionate kiss. Now all that could be heard in the room were their hums, the springs creaking in the bed, and the sound of the headboard still hitting the wall.

__

_Thump Thump Thump_.⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

__

⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀———⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀

__

“Please tell me you’re staying the entire weekend” Diane pleads as she and Sam lie curled up in bed. 

__

It was a Friday night and the two had just settled after a shower together. Diane was wearing the dark blue and black plaid shirt that Sam arrived in earlier. It was half buttoned and way too big for her, just the way she liked it. 

__

Sam on the other hand was in just his boxers while the rest of him was bare. He hums quietly to himself as he feels Diane’s fingers lightly trace along his chest while she curled into him. 

__

“Of course I’m staying for the whole weekend.”

__

She lets out a small sigh of relief. Usually he would stay all weekend but last weekend he had to leave earlier to handle business at the bar. All week Diane hadn’t seen him and since they were keeping their relationship on the quiet side, she was dying to see him. Long distance was definitely not easy.

__

That was another thing as well, their relationship being kept to themselves. It wasn’t something they had done in the past. Usually Diane was more than happy to announce that they were together. However, this time around they kept it to themselves. She wasn’t entirely sure what the reason was but then again she knew. Both of them did. In the back of both of their minds they were afraid that once again all of this was going to fail. Maybe keeping it to themselves would lessen the chances of that.

__

Besides after all of the trouble they went through at their “wedding” in Cheers, both felt that not telling their friends was best. Diane was ashamed of herself for causing such a scene only for them to be back together. The gang would no doubt make her feel embarrassed about that.

__

Sam too, he just knew the guys would let him have it. Maybe he deserved it, he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t as if they approved of him and Diane anyway. If the two of them would’ve told the guys, all they would’ve done was discourage the relationship. Sam didn’t want to deal with that, he didn’t want them to try and sway him out of this. As far as the gang knew, Sam was single and he always claimed he was going on dates. Some nights that was true. Some nights he would drive to the cabin or Diane would drive to their home and they’d spend their nights together. Other nights that he claimed he had “dates” he would go home and they’d talk on the phone for the rest of the night. Right now the gang thought he was at the Cape enjoying his weekend with some random woman. He planned on keeping it that way, at least for awhile.

__

Diane looks up at him and presses a kiss to his cheek, “good... I don’t think I would’ve lasted another day without you here. Not seeing you everyday is already hard enough.”

__

He nods in agreement. “None of this has been easy but don’t lose sight of what’s important sweetheart. You came to finish your book and once that’s done we’ll be together all the time.”

__

She pulls away slightly and raises a brow at one particular comment he made. “Sam, you’re implying that you are not important. I know I came to finish the book and believe me that’s what I spend a majority of my time, but it’s not the most important thing in my life. You’re very important to me, don’t you forget that.”

__

Sam had a tendency to put himself on the back burner and usually assumed that he wasn’t important to anyone. It had been a habit of his since he was a child. He had never really been truly special enough to anyone. That was until Diane came into his life. Now everyday he was reminded of that. However, sometimes his old habits die hard. 

__

“I’m sorry, I just don’t want to distract you from achieving your lifelong goal of being a published author.” he explains.

__

Diane nods, “I’m still very focused on that goal. In all honesty, I welcome the distraction from my work... it gives my mind a rest.”

__

Sam raises a brow. “Oh, so you enjoy the distraction? Maybe I should distract you more often.” He pulls her toward him, slightly pushing part of the flannel off of her shoulder. He then leans forward and slowly begins to pepper kisses along it and all the way up to her neck. He was right back to where he had been earlier.

__

Her eyes fall closed at that and a smile comes to her face. “Mmm... while I welcome your distractions, I think I’m going to have to turn this one down for the night.” Diane gently moves him off of her neck and guides his lips to her own. They share a slow and tender kiss before breaking apart again. 

__

“Let’s get some rest.” she whispers. 

__

Sam nods and reaches over to bedside lamp, which has been the only thing lighting up the room, and switches it off. 

__

The two settle in the bed, Diane resting on her side with Sam pressed up against her. His arm was around her midriff and she had her hand pressed over his. 

__

“Goodnight, Sammy, I love you.” Diane whispers. 

__

She feels a kiss on her shoulder which makes her smile as do his words. “Goodnight, Diane. I love you too.”⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

__

⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀———⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀

__

Before either realized it, it was now Sunday evening. This of course meant that they would have to say goodbye again which was the absolute worst part of their time together. 

__

The weekend had been well spent. On Saturday the two went for a walk through nature, admiring the beauty that the Earth gave to them. They also went in to the village that was about ten minutes from the cabin and spent a few hours going through the different shops. At one point, the two had come across on a pair of handmade matching bracelets and Diane insisted on buying them. Sam was reluctant, claiming that it was just about as cheesy as her carving their initials into the bar. That only earned him puppy dog eyes and pouty lips from her which quickly made him cave. Their night had ended with the two cuddled on the hammock that was attached to two trees just off to the side of the cabin. Sam had to wrap Diane in several blankets before she felt warm enough to sleep but nonetheless, gazing up at the stars while chatting off and on until they both fell asleep was a remarkable way to end their day. 

__

Sunday had been a very lazy day. After gathering themselves from the outdoors and back inside, they stayed there for the entire day. Mostly the day had been spent making love and though Diane tried to work on her novel, it was to no avail. Sam was right there to drive her attention away from it which she didn’t necessarily mind. She would get back into the swing of writing once he was gone.

__

That was the thing though, she didn’t want him to be gone. Saying goodbye had become increasingly difficult for Diane. They had spent so much time growing as people and growing together as a couple that being apart was not an easy task. She really needed to kick everything back into gear so she would be back home sooner and they could finally start their life together.

__

Diane steps into the doorway of her bedroom where Sam was packing his bag. He had to leave soon so he’d make it home in time to rest before having to go back to Cheers. She stands there for a moment, admiring him as he attempted to fold his clothes away but not doing the most efficient job. It brings a smile to her face, he was quite adorable. 

__

It takes Sam a little longer to notice she was there but when he looks up he smiles back. “Hi beautiful.”

__

“Hi handsome, do you need some help?”

__

He glances back down at the monstrosity of an attempt at packing away his clothes. That was a no brainer. Sam glances back up at her and smiles sheepishly. “Maybe.”

__

Diane giggles a little and strides over to him. When she gets a real look at just how badly packed his bag was she gasps, “It’s like a bomb went off in here!”

__

“Hey! I did my best okay?”

__

She can’t help but laugh again, at least he had tried to neatly put away his clothes. Diane turns to him and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek, “Yes, you did and that’s what matters.”

__

Turning back, Diane grabs a shirt and begins to fold it, “Just watch me darling and you’ll get the hang of it.”

__

Sam nods and peers over her shoulder, watching as she masterfully folds the shirt small enough to make enough room for all of his clothes. After watching a little longer, he steps beside her and attempts to follow along.

__

Only five minutes later and they were both working as a team to pack up his bag. Sam’s folding certainly wasn’t perfect but it was good enough. Besides, they were both enjoying this little moment together. 

__

As she gets down to the last shirt, Diane pouts as she looks at the dark blue and black flannel before her. It was the same one she had been wearing Friday night after she practically ripped it off of him. “I love this flannel.” she remarks and begins to fold it. 

__

Sam shrugs in return. “Why don’t you keep it?”

__

She glances up at him with a raised brow, “Really?”

__

“Yeah... you seem to enjoy stealing it out of my closet when you come to visit. Keep it and when you’re really missing me, you can wear it and it’ll be like I’m there holding you in my arms.”

__

That only makes her pout as her heart swells with love. “Sam... that’s so sweet.” Diane brings him in for a warm, delicate kiss on the lips. When they break Diane places the flannel off to the side, fully intending on putting it on the second he left.

__

While she’s doing that, Sam puts away one last item and zips up his bag. “Well... that’s the last of it.”

__

A sigh comes from Diane. “Promise you’ll call me as soon as you get home so I know you made it okay?”

__

He nods, “Of course. I’ll see you Friday night okay?”

__

Her arms come around his waist as he’s speaking and she nods. “Okay.” Diane then pulls him into a tight hug. She wasn’t ready to spend nearly a whole five days without him again but she knew she’d manage, just as she had every week for the past month. 

__

Their hug lasts longer than either intended, silence filling the room as they held each other. Neither wanted to let go just yet, wanting to savor being together for a little longer. 

__

About a minute more passes and Diane pulls away, her hand coming to rest on his cheek. “I love you.” she reminds him and gives Sam another soft kiss on the lips. 

__

The kiss was short lived but meaningful nonetheless. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

__

She gives him a small smile at that and moves her hand down to his own. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

__

Sam complies with that, putting his bag over his shoulder and letting her lead the way out of her bedroom and through the cabin to the door. Another fantastic weekend coming to an end.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! If you follow me on twitter (@chambrsmalone if you don’t) then you already know that I decided to turn this one shot into a full on fic. With that being said, I originally wrote and posted a second part to this but I decided to discard that. I hope you all enjoy this because I’m excited about this fic. Thank you for taking the time to read this and as I always say, kudos and feedback are welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

Diane stares down at the half filled page before her and lets out a long sigh. It was two weeks later and a warm August Wednesday evening. All morning and all afternoon Diane had been trying to continue her novel, however absolutely nothing was striking her mind. 

Writer’s block. Oh, how she loathed the phenomenon. Not a single idea could make her pen flow with words and a continuation of her story. Each time she attempted to come up with an idea, they all came to nothing. She’d write something down and scrap it, she’d write a page or two down and at first feel confident in them, only to scrap them moments later. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t written anything at all, just last week she had filled page upon page with her story and then her it was as if mind had run right into a wall. 

The writer’s block hadn’t just started today, no it had been going on all week. It didn’t matter how hard she tried to find inspiration, nothing seemed to work. Not to mention she was beginning to become somewhat stir crazy staying in this secluded cabin day after day.

Sure, some days she could go into the village and stroll through the different shops and visit the little cafe they had. She could even chat with the locals who had been nothing but welcoming and kind since she arrived. However, after the two months she had been here that already became somewhat tiresome. 

Diane missed Boston, the hustle and bustle of a big city. Sure the rowdy streets at night were not to her liking when she really needed a good night’s rest but nevertheless she still loved the city. It had other faults too but there was just something about it that always had called out to her. Not to mention how could her heart not belong to the city when it contained the place she considered home everyday for five years?

She missed Boston but more importantly Diane missed Cheers. The watering hole just below the fancy seafood restaurant that flipped her entire world upside down. It made her into who she was today and without it Diane couldn’t imagine where she would be. Probably married to Sumner Sloan. That thought alone made Diane shudder. Everyday she thought of the bar. She missed coming in everyday and seeing the familiar faces. Norman sitting in his regular spot, chugging away as many beers as possible as he chatted about his life and how he was usually avoiding his wife. Clifford and his determination to prove that he was more intelligent than he actually was. She even missed her feuds with Carla. Though they carried on making crude remarks toward each other through the years, Diane knew that deep down they had a special bond. Carla would never admit to actually liking Diane, but she knew it was true. She also missed Woody a great deal. The precious boy from a small rural Indiana town, one whom she thought of as her own. When it came to Woody she always felt motherly instincts toward him. Perhaps it had to do with how young he was, especially when he first arrived. 

Diane missed Frasier too and though she didn’t miss his unnecessary cruel remarks about her leaving him, she knew deep down he still cared about her. She knew that she hurt him and she carried that guilt with her everyday. Frasier was a very sweet man but it was obvious now that they should’ve never pursued a relationship with the state of mind she was in. It wasn’t right, especially when she was coming off of an incredibly difficult breakup and still in love with the man whom the breakup was with. Though hindsight is twenty-twenty, so the mistake has already been made and it was best to keep moving forward and try to repair at least some of the damage. 

This left a Diane with one final person that she missed. It was hard to not miss him everyday. Though she and Sam had gotten back together a little over a month ago, she still craved his presence frequently. How silly it was to be so in love with someone. Their relationship has been nothing but a rollercoaster since the very beginning and Diane wasn’t sure she wanted to any other way. It sure wasn’t easy, their first attempt was something she had never experienced before. She had felt new feelings that she never knew about until him. Of course there were the not so great parts. He hurt her in a lot of different ways and though she didn’t like to think of those times anymore, they were valuable lessons. He wasn’t perfect and neither was she but they somehow got through all of the bad times and grew stronger. 

Diane sets down her pencil and closes the notebook she had been trying to write in for the past few days. Maybe what she needed was some time away. It wouldn’t hurt for her to get out of the lonesome cabin and see her fella. Maybe he could provide her in some way with some inspiration, or even better, motivation.  
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After a four hour drive, Diane arrives at her and Sam’s home just a little outside of the city. The area they lived wasn’t very far from the city but it definitely lacked some of the busyness which Diane has never been fond of. Their neighborhood wasn’t filled with rowdy people at all which made it even better. 

The part Diane liked about this was they were away from the craziness that the city could produce but all it took was a short drive and there they were. They could enjoy a night out in the city together and retire to their cozy and peaceful home together. She couldn’t wait to do that when she was home for good. 

Opening the door to the home, she lets out a sigh as the door closes behind her. Sam wouldn’t be home for a little while longer and that meant she had time to let some steam off with a bath. That was one of the things the cabin lacked, a tub. Sure it had a shower but she enjoyed relaxing in a tub and letting all of her worries float away. That was exactly what she was going to do. 

Diane pulls out some lavender bath salts and adds those to the water as the tub fills with water. Next, she steps back into their attached bedroom and pulls a book off the bookshelf near their bed. A lot of her things were still here as if she never left, so she could grab a book she enjoyed without worry. Hopefully reading someone else’s work could inspire her and get the creative gears moving in her mind again. 

Near the end of her soak, her eyes were closed and the room was completely silent. Her brain was finally taking a rest. No focus on the story, no focus on getting home, no focus on Sam— not that she minded having her focus on him but it was nice to have her brain not focus on one thing just for a little while. It was freeing and as she steps out of the tub several minutes later, she begins to feel refreshed. A night with her favorite person in the world alongside at least attempting to carry on not focusing too much on one thing would hopefully send her back to the cabin refreshed. 

Maybe once she got back she could finish this chapter and move to the next. She would be that much closer to being done with the novel and soon enough she’d begin the process of getting it out to the world. How nerve wracking and yet exciting that thought was. Not to mention, she’d finally come home for good and she and Sam could begin their life together.  
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Sam pushes the front door to his and Diane’s home open a couple hours later. He lets out a long exasperated sigh and begins to pull himself out of his Red Sox jacket.

His day had been a long one, one filled with problem after problem. First it started with not being able to find a new waitress. Ever since Diane went to the cabin, they had been interviewing several different people for the position but absolutely no one fit the job. They’d hire someone who would only quit a couple of either days or weeks. This left Sam trying to find someone else to fill the position who would be willing to do it long term. They desperately needed the help. Of course today was to no avail. They interviewed about six people and though one candidate stuck out to him, it turned out she wouldn’t be able to do the job after all.

Then of course Woody had called in sick so Sam was stuck both bartending and trying to take orders. The only relief he got was when Carla’s temporary waitress came in and helped. Still, the stress carried on. A fight broke out in the pool room of the bar and he had to be the one to break it out and kick one of the men out. This of course, soured his mood.

His friends were of no help either, they had been egging him on for half the night to go over and score with a beautiful woman who had came in. She was trying to entice him all night but there wasn’t even a slight interest. However, his friends pushing him to take her out for the night didn’t help. Sam never gave into their pressure but he did eventually crack on them and shouted to leave him alone. It caused a scene, one that he now felt bad for. 

In fact, his day had been so long and stressful that Sam didn’t even notice Diane’s car parked in their driveway. His mind just completely skipped over that and didn’t register it. However as he turns back around after hanging his coat, he’s met with the sight of his beloved standing before him. She looked as goddess like as ever, dressed in her lavender nightgown that hit just above her knees. 

“Hi, my love.” she steps forward and takes only seconds to realize that he did not seem well. She doesn’t get a chance to question it before he replies. 

Sam smiles wide, his expression changing from that of stressful to joyful. She had no clue how relieved and happy he was to see her, especially since they had not planned on seeing each other tonight. “Hi sweetheart, what brings you home?”

Diane steps closer to him and brings her arms around his middle. “Well... he’s very tall, outrageously handsome, likes sports, and has the biggest heart in the world.”

Sam furrows his brows. “Hm... I don’t think you’ll find him here. A man matching that description doesn’t live here, sorry to disappoint.” he teases.

She rolls her eyes and gives him another smile. “Oh, just shut up and kiss me, you big lug.”

He does just that, bringing his hands down to her cheeks and pulls her up into a gentle and slow kiss. Nothing felt better to him than being in her embrace and sharing a delightful kiss. It almost made all of his stress up and disappear. Almost. 

After they break apart Diane grabs Sam’s hand and drags him to the living room to chat. She knew something was up and never liked it when he was upset. She wanted to be there for him and make his worries go away. 

They get settled on the couch together, Sam holding his arm around Diane’s shoulder as she cuddled into him. She peers up at him and quietly questions. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

He lets out another sigh and begins to explain the hellish day he had experienced. How it felt like his brain was going to overload with stress. How he planned on coming home, showering, chatting with her on the phone, and then falling into a deep sleep to forget about the day. 

Once his story is finished, Diane leans in and lightly feather kisses along his jaw and down his neck. She eventually circles her way back up and ends on bringing him in for another kiss on the lips. “I’m sorry your day was so stressful.” she says as they break apart. 

He shakes his head and pushes it off. “It’s okay... I’ll be okay.”

Diane raises a brow, questioning if that was actually true. For now though she doesn’t press about it. She pulls back to look at him and gives him a smile. “Well then it’s a good thing I have a little gift for you. Perhaps it’ll lighten your mood.”

“Oh? A gift? Did I miss our anniversary or something?” He jokes.

Diane slides off the couch and walks toward the kitchen where she had left her purse to retrieve the gift. “No, nothing like that. I just thought I could give something special to my big guy.” she says with a smile as she disappears into the kitchen.

By now Sam had pulled himself off the couch too and was curiously following her to the kitchen. Had she baked him something? He was somewhat hungry, a bit of food could do him some good. 

However, it was nothing of the sort. Diane reaches into her purse and pulls out a series of polaroids. 

Now he was confused. “Polaroids?”

She offers them to him with a small smirk “Just give them a look. I think you might like what you see.”

Sam takes the polaroids into his hands and begins to look through them. The confused looks turns into one with a smirk smeared across his face. The polaroids he were holding were of her but they were not the normal photos. Out of the five that he had, she was wearing lingerie in all but one. They were all only meant for his eyes but the last one in particular was meant for only his eyes. She was completely nude in that one, posed in a very sultry manner. Each photo she was in different enticing poses, each polaroid with the exception of the last one, she had on his favorite black frilly teddy. Anytime she wore it she barely stayed in it long, it was a miracle that thing hadn’t been ripped to shreds. 

She watches as his demeanor begins to change toward a lustful one as he continues staring at the photos in his hands. Diane steps closer to him and brings her hands up to his deep red button down shirt and begins to unbutton it. Seconds later her hands rub against his chest and her lips start pressing against his collarbone, beginning to work her way up. “Just think of it...” she hums between kisses, “as a little treat for yourself when I can’t be around.”

Sam quickly places the pictures down on the counter behind her and lets her take full control of the moment. She pushes the shirt off of him, letting it fall to the ground while her lips make their way all the way up to his own. However as the moment begins to heat up more and more, they both get caught up and as Diane is pushing Sam back against the counter behind him he manages to smack his head against the cabinet just behind him. 

Their kiss breaks with Sam grunting “ouch” along with Diane letting out a gasp. 

“Oh Sam I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to shove you into the cabinet.” Immediately she steps back and a pout comes across her face, she didn’t mean to hurt him she just got a little too carried away. 

He lets out a chuckle and presses his fingers gently to the now tender spot on the back of his head. “It’s okay, babe. I think I’ll survive.”

Diane sighs, still worried that he could be bleeding or something. Though it was nothing of the sort and he was perfectly fine, it didn’t stop her brain from taking this small accident and overthinking it. “Well that was quite the mood killer... why don’t we go cuddle on the couch? That’s at least harmless.”

Once Sam slides his shirt back on, he nods and puts his arm around her, walking back to the living room with her. “You know I can’t help but notice but it seems you haven’t had the best day either. You never did say why the surprise visit.”

The two become settled on the couch again and Diane cuddles up against Sam. “Well, for my own selfish reasons. It’s been a struggle with my novel as of recently and I figured coming home to spend some time with you would help me get through this block.” Diane explains.

“I’m sorry sweetheart, is there anything I can do to help you out?”

“It’s nice to open up to you about how I’m feeling about this... but I know you don’t always like to have heart to hearts all that often. I can save my feelings for my journal.” Diane had many other pent up feelings about her book. She was scared that it was actually going to fail, that this was all just a waste of time. Not to mention she sometimes questioned her writing abilities, maybe she wasn’t a great as she wanted to believe she was. Either way she didn’t want to make Sam get all mushy and whatnot so she’d most likely have to dive into those feelings on her own. 

“If something’s on your mind then I want you to tell me about it. I know I’m not so good at the feelings stuff... but I don’t want you to think that you can’t talk to me. I’m always here for you.” Sam insists. 

That was a relief to hear from him, it already made her feel better. Diane snuggles her face a little further into him and begins to absent minded play with the buttons on his now re-buttoned shirt. “Sometimes I just feel like this is all a big waste of time. I’m spending so much time away from you working on this novel and who knows if it’ll lead anywhere? What if it fails? You have no idea how scared I am of letting you down, especially since you’re the one who pushed me to do this.”

“Diane… you have to quit being so hard on yourself. I’m very proud of what you’ve accomplished so far. I’m not going to be disappointed in you. You took your shot and not matter what happens, that’s what matters. You’re still going to be published and that’s something you should be proud of.” Sam assures. “Besides… I think you’re going to do pretty well. I have a lot of faith in you and your abilities.”

She pulls away from his chest and the two face each other, taking a moment to look into his beautiful steel blue eyes to see that he was being sincere. “Thank you... your unwavering support and faith in me is what keeps me going.”

Sam sort of brushes it off, as if this was no big deal. “Well, I just think it’s important to let you know that I’m on your side.”

Diane scoots closer to him. “You know, Sam, you might come off as this no emotion type guy but deep down, past those barriers you have up, you’re a real big softie. You’re an absolute teddy bear.”

“Ah Diane... you’re getting all mushy on me” he protests.

“Come on, you know it’s true my darling.” Diane insists.

He diverts his eyes down to the ground and his cheeks start to fill with red, slightly blushing. “Okay, so say it’s true.... you have to promise me you’ll never tell a soul.”

She smiles as she watches him blush, he didn’t do it often and she just found it to be one of the cutest things ever. As he glances back up at her, Diane nods. “Don’t worry... it’ll be our little secret.”

“Promise?”

Diane sticks up her pinky finger with another smile. “Pinky.”

Sam’s pinky locks with her own. Diane then moves her hand away once the promise has been made and places both of her hands on his cheeks. It felt like she was seconds away from bursting with love. “I love you so, so much, Samuel Malone.”

As she’s leaning in to place a kiss on his lips, he returns the same sentiment. “I love you too, Diane Chambers.” Their lips then meet in a slow and deeply passionate kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! I know things might be moving a little slow with this fic but I’m hoping to make it longer than Distance was and really build up to certain plot points I have in mind. Either way I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Kudos and feedback are always welcome. Thank you for taking the time to read this!
> 
> Also thank you again to my friend mayee who has continued to help me throughout this story so far with proofreading and whatnot!


	4. Chapter 4

“When was the last time we even went on a real date?” Diane questions as she curls up in bed with the phone receiver glued to her ear. She and Sam had been on the phone for the last hour. They talked about everything and nothing. Sometimes they’d sit in silence together and eventually pick another conversation back up. This went on until one of them fell asleep, which was usually Diane. 

“What do you mean? I took you out two weeks ago.” Sam replies, confused as to why she made it seem like they hadn’t gone on a date in years. They couldn’t go on dates as often anymore but was it really that big of a deal?

She sighs, “Sam... taking me to help you pick out a new suit and other clothing is not a date.”

“Ah, come on we had a good time sweetheart. Didn’t you enjoy getting to dress me up?” he protests. 

Diane rolls her eyes at that remark though he couldn’t see it. “I did enjoy the time we had together and dressing you up... but it wasn’t a real date.”

“Okay then, what did you have in mind?” 

She sits up in bed and grabs the invitation she had received earlier today off of her bedside table. It was an invitation to a masquerade ball, a charity being hosted by the group of psychiatrists Frasier worked with. He had sent her the invitation in hopes she’d come out to support him and her old acquaintances. Immediately Diane knew that it was a perfect way to spend an evening with Sam without getting caught. They’d be in masks after all. 

“I’m glad you asked,” Diane begins and scans the invitation one more time, “there’s this masquerade ball that I was invited to this Saturday evening and I figured it would be a perfect occasion for us.”

“Huh that’s funny, Frasier’s uptight friends are hosting a masquerade ball Saturday evening. He asked me to tend the bar for them.”

Diane shakes her head at that, “Sam...”

“Yeah?”

“It’s clearly the same event as mine. Frasier invited me as a way to support my old acquaintances and him as well.” Diane explains.

She hears Sam come to the realization with an “ohh” sound coming from him. “I guess that makes sense then. Looks like we can go to it together after all.”

A sigh comes from her, this was not the way she wanted their next date to happen. Would it even be a date if he was serving drinks all night? “You’re going to be bartending all night and I’ll be schmoozing with Frasier and his buddies. That hardly sounds like a date to me.”

Now she was plain frustrated. All she wanted was a romantic evening outside of the cabin or their home. A nice dinner, a movie, a picnic followed by a walk in the moonlight, a night together where the could hide their faces and dance the night away. But no, none of that was happening. It didn’t help that she hadn’t seen him since their trip to buy him new clothes. How she absolutely loathed long distance. 

“Hey we’ll figure out a way to make it work. Saturday evening will be the date night you’ve been dying for.” Sam assures.

That makes her smile a little and shift back down into bed. She wasn’t sure how they were going to make it work but maybe somehow they could. 

The topic begins to shift, the two continuing their usual nightly chat. Only about half an hour later, Diane was out like a light. The receiver was still pressed to her ear but she was fast asleep. 

Sam chuckles as he realizes that she’s asleep, “Good night darling, sleep tight. See you on Saturday.”  
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Before either knew it, Saturday was there. Diane steps back in front of the full length mirror and admires the ball gown she had purchased just a few days prior. The royal red sleeveless dress had a bedazzling jeweled heart-shaped bodice that was flared out from her hips and sculpted her elegantly. She tops off her look with a gold half-mask that covered the bridge of her nose and the top of her cheeks.

Butterflies fill Diane’s stomach as she finishes taking a final glance at herself. Her hair was done in a simple updo and her makeup was light considering the mask that covered her face. She couldn’t wait to get to the event hall and spend what she hoped would be at least a fraction of her night dancing with Sam. This was their first date in a long time so her expectations were higher than usual. 

Part of her was somewhat nervous as well, last night over the phone Sam had mentioned how their friends were going to be there. Well, not all of them. Carla would be there to help tend the bar with Sam then of course Lilith and Frasier were going to be there since this was an event held by their associates. This meant there was more of a chance of being caught by one of them. Though their relationship wasn’t forbidden, they were both still adamant on keeping it to themselves. Neither knew what the future held or where they would in a year from now so it was better that their friends didn’t know.

The drive to the event hall is short, thankfully her hotel was very far away. The ball wasn’t going to be starting for another five minutes so that gave Diane time to get inside and find her fella before the craziness began. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to schmooze for too long with Frasier and his buddies and she would be able to pull Sam away from bartending for awhile. All she truly wanted was a romantic evening with the love of her life. She could only hope that wasn’t too much to ask for.   
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“I can’t believe you let Frasier talk you into tending this fancy pants event. More importantly, I can’t believe you roped me into helping you.” Carla complains as the two get the bar ready to go for the evening. They had about five more minutes until guests would be allowed inside. 

Sam rolls his eyes at her complaints, “Carla, I’m paying you extra for this. Besides, Frasier’s a friend and I want to help him out.”

Sam was in a simple black tuxedo and a half-mask that was black with gold accents. He was beginning to feel his stomach churn as the opening time ticked closer. There wasn’t a way of knowing how much time he’d really have with Diane tonight. That scared him, he didn’t want to let her down. He knew how much she was looking forward to this entire night and letting her down was the last thing he wanted. Maybe someway, somehow he could balance between spending time with her and bartending. At least that was his hope, if not he knew their time together after this would be anything but happy. 

The five minutes come and go quickly and soon the room was filled with people dressed up in royal ball gowns and tuxedos. All with different kinds of masks, some which were half-masks, others that covered their whole face. The room was crowded already which only made Sam more nervous, if they were too busy how was he going to sneak away?

Several minutes later, Sam’s back was turned as he was grabbing a few more items to make drinks. He glances quickly and notices someone was waiting at his end of the bar. “What can I get for you?” he questions.

“Well I’d say I’m in the mood for a tall, sexy bartender” Diane’s familiar voice says behind him. 

Sam quickly spins around and sees her standing at the end of the bar. The sight of her in her dress makes him lose his words. Everything he planned on saying was thrown right out of his mind. Her goddess-like beauty never ceased to take his breath away.

Diane notices how speechless he was and that only causes her to blush. He always made her feel beautiful, as if she was the most beautiful woman in existence. 

She steps forward and glances over at Carla, who was oblivious and already taking orders. She looks back at Sam, a smile coming to her face, “Could I steal you away for a few moments?”

Sam does the same as she did and looks over at Carla, who still hadn’t seen the two of them. He turns back and nods, “I don’t see why not.”

He takes her hand as she offers it and follows her off on to the dance floor. They were deeper into the crowd of people so no one would know who they were and their friends certainly wouldn’t see them. 

Diane wraps her arms around Sam’s neck and greets him with a gentle kiss on the lips. It was too bad she couldn’t make the kiss last longer, it had been too long since they’d seen each other. She really couldn’t wait to get him alone this evening. 

As the kiss breaks, Sam begins to take in the entirety of Diane’s outfit again. “You’re breathtaking.” he hums. 

The same redness creeps back into Diane’s cheeks and another smile comes to her face. He still made her feel as giddy as a schoolgirl. As if they were teenagers stupidly in love. Diane gives him a good scan up and down twice. “Well, you’re not so bad yourself, Mr. Malone.”

Sam pulls her closer by her waist. “If you like what you see now just wait until you see what’s underneath all of this.”

“Oh believe me, that tuxedo is coming off of you the second we get home” she remarks and pulls him in for another kiss. This time the kiss was deeper and longer, both taking what time they’d had together before having to part for a little while. 

The two break apart before getting too carried away and share a loving gaze. Diane lets out a sigh as she completely pulls away from Sam’s embrace, “I should go say hello to Frasier.”

“Save a dance for me.”

She gives him a nod, “You know I will. I’ll see you soon.”

The two then reluctantly part ways, Sam going back to the bar ready to get an ear full from Carla and Diane going over to Frasier to spend the next hour tuning out half the things he says. At least she had Lilith though, it was her mission to become that woman’s friend no matter how long it took.   
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Sam stares out into the event hall as he’s slicing lemons. The room was filled with various people dancing away as well as chatting. The room was practically filled the brim too, not as busy as Sam had been expecting. Though the room was certainly packed, Sam had his eyes on one person the entire night. It was sort of ridiculous how he spent his whole night watching her from afar. Having to tend the bar made it that much more difficult. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to bring in promotion for Cheers but he really wanted to be out there dancing with the one person he loved most. Instead, here he was working away. Carla made the night more bearable but that didn’t stop him from wishing he was out on the dance floor.

He smiles to himself as he watches Diane laugh at a joke one of her acquaintances had told. In a way he felt as though he could hear her laughter. It was a sound he grew to love over time and he loved bringing it out of her whenever he could. 

“Are you gonna stare at her all night or are you gonna grow a pair and go dance with her?” Carla’s voice breaks Sam’s thoughts and his gaze on Diane. 

“Who?” Sam questions nonchalantly, he really didn’t need Carla finding out about them still being together. 

“Who? The stick, the goody-two-shoes, chicken legs. You know who I’m talkin’ about Sammy.”

“How did you-“ he begins.

Carla cuts him off, “I’ve only ever seen you look like a lovesick puppy dog with one person besides me of course, and that was miss egghead over there.”

Sam turns to Carla, he couldn’t believed she had figured it out. “Have you known this whole time?”

She shrugs in return. “Not at first, but then I figured it out when you kept coming back in very weirdly cheerful moods. I’ve only seen you like that with her, for whatever reason.”

“Carla, you gotta promise you won’t tell the guys. Diane and I agreed on keeping this to ourselves, can you please do that?” he begs. 

The curly haired woman crosses her arms and raises a brow. “Only if you’ll do one thing for me.”

“Anything.” Sam replies.

“I want a five dollar raise.” she demands.

His eyes widen at that, “Five dollars?”

Carla shrugs. “Guess I’ll have a very interesting story to tell the guys tomorrow about how Sammy has fallen right back into the egghead’s trap.” She then begins to walk down to the opposite end of the bar. 

“Oh no no please please” he says and follows behind. “What about a three dollar raise?” Sam bargains.

“Make it four and we have a deal.”

“Fine, a four dollar raise starting Monday” he finally gives in. 

Carla turns with a smile and sticks out her hand. The two shake and she nods. “You better get out there before she finds someone else to dance with.”

Sam feels relief wash over him with those words. He thanks Carla profusely before rushing out from behind the bar and toward where Diane was chatting. It was a good thing she wasn’t with Frasier or Lilith, hopefully they wouldn’t spot them while dancing.

Gently, Sam taps on Diane’s shoulder, “Miss... may I have this dance?” he then sticks out his hand with a smile. 

Diane turns and a big, bright smile comes to her face. She was absolutely elated to see Sam standing before her. They could finally spend some time enjoying this ball together instead of miserably apart. She nods in return and takes his hand into hers. “The pleasure would be mine.”

Finally, Sam whisks her away and deeper into the crowd of people so they would be harder to spot. Due to the nature of the song being a slow one, Diane decides to rest her head down against Sam’s shoulder as the two begin to dance along to the music. They don’t say anything for a little while, just enjoying the moment. 

As their dancing progresses, it begins to feel as if everyone else in the room had disappeared and they were the only ones left. To both of them, no one else mattered in this very moment. They only really cared about each other and how strongly they felt for one another. 

It doesn’t take much longer for their silence to break. Diane was now standing up right again with Sam and she leans in a little closer to him, “Let’s go home... I want you all to myself” she says only loud enough for him to hear. 

For some reason that comment sends shivers down his spine and he nods, there was absolutely no argument from him. Two weeks apart was entirely too long for him, he couldn’t wait to get home and spend every second enjoying her. 

She grabs his hand and the two push their way through the heavy crowd toward the exit. Tonight was going to be nothing short of special.   
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Diane and Sam stumble their way into their home, lips locked with tongues fighting for dominance. They stumble their way through the foyer and toward the living room. Diane’s fingers were furiously working to unbutton his shirt, the jacket of his tuxedo having already been pushed off the second they got inside. Her fingers undo the last button and off went his shirt. 

Sam changes their path from the living room toward the stairs after that. As hungry for her as he was, he wasn’t leaving this moment for the couch. Their bed would serve them a more pleasurable time than the couch ever could. 

The journey up the stairs is a struggle as they continue to desperately cling to one another like their lives depended on it. Upon arriving in their bedroom, Sam breaks the kiss and steps back. He wasn’t stopping but he certainly wasn’t about to rip this dress off of her, it was far too expensive looking to ruin. 

“What’s wrong?” Diane breathes out, letting herself catch her breath. She certainly hoped something nothing changed because she had been eagerly waiting for this night to arrive.

Sam shakes his head. “Nothing, nothing.” he begins and takes a couple steps which leads him behind her. Taking ahold of the zipper, Sam begins to gently unzip the elegant ball gown, letting it slowly slide off of her. 

Diane slightly shivers from the cool air in their room and that only intensifies as she feels Sam begin to press kisses up her back. Her strapless bra was gone only moments later along with her panties and his lips had trailed their way up to her neck. Her eyes fall closed as she feels his hot breath against her neck, she was already turning into jelly. A moan falls from her lips when he begins to add in sucking and very light nipping. One hand comes up to the back of his head and holds him there as his carries on.

The whole mood of their night had shifted. While they were still hungry for each other it seemed the desperation has simmered down for now. Sam was being very gentle, his hands lightly and slowly exploring every inch of her body. 

This carries on for only a little longer before Diane pulls Sam off of her. Her hand takes his and she pulls him around back to face her. Their lips meet again in a slow, open mouthed kiss and Diane’s hands work to undo the button and zipper to Sam’s pants. Those come down with his boxers coming moments after. 

Diane hums a little as she feels Sam’s hands press against her hips, slowly pushing her backward toward their bed. As they reach their final destination, he gently lays her down on the soft mattress breaking their kiss for only a few moments. 

With the kiss broken she looks up at him again, nothing but love and happiness filled in her eyes. There was a brief moment in which Diane realized that he was waiting for approval before they carried on. That little gesture alone was incredibly sweet. It filled her chest with warmth. She gives him a small nod, there was nothing she wanted more in this moment that him. 

Sam obliges to her nod and climbs on top of her with a smile appearing on his face. Their lips meet again seconds later and pulls the sheets below them up over their heads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I really liked writing this masquerade ball. As you know, kudos and feedback are always welcome. Thank you for reading!
> 
> And of course thank you again to Mayee for helping me with this chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

What is it that makes us do stupid things when we know those choices are wrong? Perhaps it’s our emotions taking over our logic, especially when one is pressured into a situation they didn’t want to be part of in the first place. Peer pressure can be a very powerful tool, especially when those it’s used against someone who feels vulnerable in the moment. They know they have no other choice but the wrong one. At least they feel as though they have no other choice.

That was exactly what had happened to Sam the previous day. The day had been mundane, nothing fun happening around the bar. He was most looking forward to going home to pack for his weekend with Diane. They were planning on setting off to the Pequod for the entire weekend, Sam was taking all of Friday off so they could have extra time together too. They could get away from Boston and their friends for a weekend and be able to go out on a romantic evening without the worry of being caught together. 

His excitement for the weekend withered away once Thursday progressed further into the evening. A tall blonde woman who was dressed in a tight black dress, so tight that it barely held in her breasts, had slipped into the bar. Her blonde locks were pin straight and her face was painted with a layer of makeup. Of course Sam took notice of her, it was hard not too especially when she strutted up to the bar and right over to him. If Sam was still a bachelor, she would be right up his alley. However as attractive as she was, Sam didn’t lay his usual charm and flirtatious remarks. He even dodged her own when she tried. 

In the past he would’ve thought something was wrong with him but every time he looked at her he just thought of how she wasn’t Diane. His mind constantly wandered back to her and how genuinely happy she made him. Their circumstances currently were less than favorable, sure but he couldn’t imagine trading the love he felt for her for an emotionless evening with any woman. 

After his first few encounters with her, Sam had walked away and figured that was it. He could go back to thinking about what he wanted to pack for the weekend and what he could do to make it an unforgettable one. However, his nightmare had only just begun.

The guys grilled him for not pursuing that woman. They constantly nagged and questioned if he was losing his game. Cliff had commented how he was starting to fall off the throne of “king of the hounds” and that scared him. Norm of course agreed with that and added in that he was beginning to become soft. Sam protested and insisted that he was still the bachelor they thought he was. That of course was a lie and he badly wanted to shut them down and tell them that he was happily in love. He hadn’t quite reached that level of authority within himself though, so he gave in to peer pressure.

Sam didn’t want to lose this image the guys had of him. He knew he wasn’t that guy they dreamt of anymore but he wasn’t quite ready to let go of that yet. This of course led his emotions to step in front of his logic and reasoning and let him make a very stupid decision.

After being grilled by his friends, Sam had gone over to this woman and laid on his usual charm and flirtatious remarks. He apologized for earlier, making up the excuse that he was intimidated by her beauty. He learned the woman’s name was Charlotte and by the end of their conversation he was walking out of the bar with her leading the way.

The entire time he felt sick to his stomach. He had never ever cheated on Diane and never planned to. He didn’t consider it cheating, they hadn’t done anything. Of course there was the flirting but none of it meant a thing to him. God what had he done?

Sam took her out for dinner and though the entire time he lacked focus and was an asshole to her, she still invited him back to her place. He tried to say no and say he was on this so-called “date” for his friends but once again he eventually gave into peer pressure when she persisted. By the time they ended up at her apartment, he never once touched or kissed her in anyway. He lied and said he needed to use the restroom and took that opportunity to sneak out of the window. God was he ever happy that she lived on the first floor. 

Eventually, he hailed a cab home and spent every second there since the awful decision was made. Sam sighs as he finishes packing his clothing for the weekend. How was he supposed to tell Diane about what had happened last night? The idea of him being out with another woman wasn’t going to sit very well with her. Maybe with some talking she’d see his point of view but it worried him how she would initially take it.

Sam throws his bag over his shoulder and walks out of the bedroom, he needed to pick Diane up. This was something he was absolutely dreading.  
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“Sam? Saaaam” Diane repeats again and takes him out of his thoughts. He didn’t even realize that she had been talking to him for the past five minutes. 

“Sorry, what?” he questions.

His mind had been elsewhere, thinking about how this romantic weekend getaway was going to turn into anything but part of him was scared of what this meant for their future. Would she be so upset she wouldn’t be able to forgive him? He wasn’t sure.

“I asked if you were feeling okay. You’ve been awful quiet this entire car ride and when you have chatted with me, you’ve been spacey and off” Diane points out. She knew something was wrong but didn’t have a clue as to what. 

“Oh, yeah... sorry about that sweetheart. I’m okay just tired” he replies. That wasn’t a complete lie, he had spent half the night feeling sick to his stomach over what he had done. He tossed and turned all night wondering what to say to Diane while also feeling like a sack of dirt for doing what he had done. 

She sticks out her bottom lip in pout and squeezes his hand, “well why don’t you pull over? I’ll drive the rest of the way. You should get some rest, especially for the weekend I have in store for us.”

Sam shakes his head in protest, insisting that he was alright. The sooner they got to the Pequod, the sooner he could get this over with and face the consequences of his stupid decision. Did he ever hate himself for giving in to peer pressure.

Diane leans over, pressing a soft peck to his cheek “okay if you insist... but if you start feeling like you can’t drive any longer just let me know and I’ll take over.”

He feels his stomach twist at the kiss. The very sweet gesture she made toward him made him feel worse. What he had done wasn’t even as bad as it could’ve been and yet he wanted to throw up from how bad he felt for making this decision. Cheating was something he never ever did, especially not to Diane. Sam never considered the thought and still didn’t. It wasn’t that he had cheated either but nonetheless that didn’t ease his mind. 

Thankfully the Pequod was only a little less than an hour away now. As much as Sam didn’t even want to tell Diane about last night, he knew he would have to. The only relief he felt was that he wouldn’t be harboring so much guilt any longer. Either way it didn’t stop him from being scared that she’d want to end things right then and there.  
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Diane and Sam get settled in their room at the Pequod a little over an hour later. As the two are finishing unpacking their clothes for the weekend, Sam steps back from the closet and gives her a somber look. There was no keeping this to himself anymore.

“Sam what’s wrong?” she questions and takes a few steps closer. 

“I... I have something I need to tell you...” He trails off and looks down at his feet. This was going to be a lot harder than just blurting it out. Part of him felt like maybe she would understand if he could explain himself but the other part felt this overwhelming sense that she would hate him. 

Sam doesn’t continue with what he wanted to say right away, he couldn’t find the words. How does one tell the person they love more than anything something like this? Maybe he was being dramatic, he hadn’t cheated. The night meant nothing to him and as soon as the opportunity arose, he got himself out of the situation. Damn him for giving into peer pressure and not wanting to lose face in front of his buddies. 

“Sam please, you’re scaring me. Please tell me what’s wrong” Diane pleads. 

He looks back up and sees worry flash over her face and that only makes him feel worse. Sam takes in a deep breath and lets it out slow, “last night... I... well, I-I took another woman out. She thought we were on a date but I promise it wasn’t like that for me. The guys pressured me into it. I never wanted to go through with it in the first place” he attempts to explain.

Diane goes stiff for a moment, all of her emotions feeling like they had gone dead from his words. At first she had no reaction just a blank stare at him, her brain unable to process this.

Sam takes a couple steps closer when she doesn’t say anything or even tear up. He was confused and more worried that something had happened to her. “Diane...?”

His voice snaps her brain into gear again and the realization of what he said begins to hit her. The tears pool in her eyes and she shakes her head as she looks at him. Quickly, Diane stomps to the door and pulls it open. However, she can’t bring herself to step out of it as much as she wanted to. So, she shuts the door and stomps over to the closet. She grabs her clothes and brings them over to the bed, beginning to pack them quickly. Once again, she was unable to bring herself to leave him here alone. Despite feeling like someone had jumped up and down on her heart fifty times then stabbed it with a knife, she still loved him. How utterly ridiculous. Love was ridiculous. Why did she ever allow herself to feel this way? 

Diane pushes her bag aside and quickly turns, looking at Sam who had been watching her attempt to leave this entire time. He was confused, why hadn’t she stormed out of the room? Why wasn’t she yelling at him saying how much she hated him? 

The tears fall down her cheeks as she goes over to him and pushes at his chest. The push wasn’t hard enough to hurt him, just to make him stumble backward a little. “How could you?” there was a sadness in her voice, one that struck him in the heart. 

Seeing her tears and hearing her voice made him feel even more awful than he already felt. If there was one thing he couldn’t stand was seeing her sad. “Please... Please just let me explain this to you. I promise nothing happened, I would never ever cheat on you” he begs. 

Diane feels a slight pang in her chest when she hears how desperate he was to explain all of this to her. Damn it, damn her good heart and her love for him. “Fine, explain all of this to me but I swear if there isn’t a good explanation for this we’re through Samuel, do you hear me?” She slightly scolds him, the anger now setting in. 

He nods, taking a couple steps forward to her again. Gently, he takes hold of her hands and guides her over to the bed. Sam lets out a slow sigh and begins, “Last night a woman walked into the bar... the guys took notice of her and how she seemed right up my alley. They pressured me into asking her out and since they don’t know about us... I didn’t want to lose face in front of them. It’s so stupid, I know. Being bachelor means nothing to me but they still think that’s who I am and I guess even though it means nothing to me, I didn’t want them to think I wasn’t this cool and macho guy anymore...” Sam shakes his head. He couldn’t believe that he let this happened. “I took her out... but I did everything I could to make her hate me. I was a total asshole so she’d want to end the night early. I tried to mention that I was actually in a relationship and I was doing it to get the guys off my back but she didn’t care. So... she invited me back to her place and the second we got there I went to the bathroom and snuck out the window. Nothing happened, I promise you that. I never wanted to be there... I was planning on going home that night and packing while we chatted on the phone.”

Silence falls over the two of them once he finishes explaining everything. His stomach was twisting and turning and his heart was pounding out of his chest while he waited for her to say something. Sam was still scared that this explanation wasn’t going to be good enough for Diane. 

The silence lasts a little longer before she finally breaks it, “oh... I can’t stay mad at you.” Diane’s arms were suddenly around him in a hug. Almost instantly all of his worries seem to wash away and he lets out a sigh of relief. 

She pulls him closer to her and closes her eyes for a moment as they hug each other. The explanation made sense, she really couldn’t hold this against him. The guys had no idea he was with her so of course he would feel pressured to take the woman out. Though she wished he hadn’t, she was glad that nothing happened. It only reassured what she already knew, that he loved her as much as he said.

The two pull as part after a little longer, both turning to face each other so that they could talk a little more. Sam reaches up and brushes her hair gently behind her ear, “I hope you know that I’m sorry.”

She nods, pressing her hand to his cheek “I know... but it’s okay. You’ve been perceived as pretty much a god to the guys for a long time now and letting go of that isn’t easy. Next time, remember that you’re allowed to stand up to them. You know you’re not that guy anymore even if they don’t.”

Sam feels more of the icky feelings he had been harboring since last night begin to fade away. “I don’t know what I did to deserve someone as forgiving and as loving as you... thank you Diane” he replies.

Scooting a little closer, she gives him a small smile “I don’t know what you did either but you’re lucky as all get out to have me” she teases.

That makes him smile for the first time today and he could feel the love he had for her grow even more. “Believe me, I know that” he slightly chuckles. Sam couldn’t even begin to explain how relieved he was that things were okay and she didn’t hate him. He wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if she did. Sam then leans in and gives her a soft, slow kiss on the lips. He would never forget how lucky he was to have her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I honestly really enjoyed writing it, I’m somewhat partial to diving into Sam’s feelings because you don’t really get to see that in the show. Anywho, as you know kudos and feedback are always welcome! Thank you for reading!
> 
> Of course thank you again to Mayee for all the help that you’ve given me so far throughout this fic and your continued help!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> small note: in an earlier chapter I mentioned it was November but I went back and changed that to follow the timeline that I have in mind. Not a big deal but I wanted to let you all know in case you notice that change.

October had creeped up on them, just yesterday it felt as if it was June when they first got back together. It was around eleven at night, the Chambers-Malone household was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. In fact, the neighborhood itself stood completely silent. That was one of its many appeals. Sam was fast asleep in his and Diane’s bed, unfortunately he was by himself tonight but it wouldn’t be long until they were cuddled up in bed together again. 

His day had been easygoing, nothing big or small happening which was usually just the way he liked it. Sam had gone about his regular routine of coming home early to talk with Diane until one of them fell asleep. He had gone to sleep rather excited for the next day since he was planning on taking both Friday and Monday off to spend extra time with her. This would be the longest they had spent together since she left Boston in May so he had very high expectations for their extended weekend. 

Sam was dreaming of the weekend ahead. The plans he had been playing out in his head of how he hoped they would happen. Just then, his dreams are crushed by the phone on the bedside table next to him blaring loudly, rudely awakening him from his sleep. 

“Ugh...” he groans and reaches out from where he was lying, his hand fumbling around to find the receiver. He considered for a second not answering, who was calling him at this hour anyway?

Sam finally grabs hold of the receiver and sits up a little more, pressing it to his ear. “Hello?” he questions in a tired and groggy voice.

“Sam... Sam someone’s trying to break into the cabin” Diane’s quiet yet panicked voice says from the other end. 

He shoots up quickly in bed, his eyes widening as he becomes more alert. “What?” 

Her voice grows more panicked and afraid, “someone’s trying to get into the cabin and I-I don’t know what to do. Sam... I’m scared.”

Hearing the fear in her voice was enough for him to jump out of bed. “Where are you? Are you hiding? Did you call the police?” Sam scrambles to get dressed right away, he was so glad the cord on the phone was long enough to reach as he grabbed his clothes. 

“I’m hiding in my closet under clothes and blankets... all the doors are locked and I called the police but I’m terrified... Sam what if he gets in?” she questions. 

He finishes getting dressed and grabs his bag that was already packed, “just stay where you are, sweetheart. I promise everything is going to be okay, I’m leaving the house now to be there. Don’t leave that spot until the police come okay? I’ll be there as soon as I possibly can.”

Sam couldn’t believe someone was trying to break into the cabin. It wasn’t as if the place had much value. Sure it was nice and for the most part up to date but it didn’t have anything that was valuable. Maybe some of Diane’s jewelry but even then, the jewels were not priceless. That didn’t matter though, what mattered was her safety. She was a woman alone pretty much in the middle of nowhere which made her a very easy target. There wasn’t a chance Sam was going to let anything happen to her. Though he knew the person would be long gone by the time he got there, he was still going to keep an eye out for her. Letting her be alone for the rest of the night wasn’t an option anymore.  
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One of the many setbacks of being in a long distance relationship is not having the ability to be there for you partner the second they need you. Phone calls aren’t always the best way to be there for the one you love most. Especially in Sam and Diane’s current situation. 

The drive takes him less time than usual since the roads were almost completely empty but it still takes him three hours to get there. By now the person was probably gone but knowing Diane, she was probably still worried sick that he’d come back. Sam only hoped that in the last three hours she was able to distract herself as he drove as fast as he could to her without getting pulled over. 

The minute Sam steps out of his car, he throws his bag over his shoulder and rushes to the front door. He doesn’t even have to knock because as soon as he reaches the door, Diane opens it and throws herself onto him. He drops his bag down and immediately pulls her in close. The two stay in a tight hug for a long period of time, neither wanting to let go of the other. The thought that something bad could’ve happened to her really setting in now, Sam was grateful that she was okay. 

“Come on,” he says as he pulls away, “let’s not stand out here for too long.”

She nods in agreement, grabbing his bag and leading the way back inside the cabin. “What did the police have to say?” Sam questions as he follows her toward the bedroom.

“Not a whole lot... whoever it was ran away the second they heard police sirens. They said they would send a patrol car beginning tomorrow in hopes of him showing up again. I really really hope that won’t be the case” she replies.

The two walk into the bedroom and Sam approaches her once she sets down his bag. He gently presses his hand to her back and kisses the side of her head, “do you want me to go outside and look around? Make sure the area is all clear?”

Diane leans into Sam’s half embrace a little and shakes her head, “not particularly no... I’d much rather have you here with me. I feel a lot safer when you’re around” she admits. 

“Yeah?” he questions as if he didn’t already know that. 

She shifts a little to look up at him and nods, “of course.”

That makes him smile a little and he presses a kiss to her forehead, “then I’ll stay right here... I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

Though the reassurance was small and Diane already knew that he would do anything to protect her, it still made her feel better. It reassured her that she was safe.  
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Fear. It truly is one of the worst feelings a human can experience. One’s body usually goes into fight or flight and it can be hard to come out of that. Even when you know you’re safe, even when you’re wrapped up in the arms of a six foot three ex-baseball player who would do absolutely anything to ensure your safety. That was how Diane was feeling right now, it wasn’t easy to shake. 

Only an hour had passed since Sam had arrived but the night was growing later and with the passing of time, Diane’s fear grew more. She was terrified that the man who tried to break in would come back and waltz right into the cabin with ease this time. She didn’t know what he wanted but she knew it wasn’t good.

What made it worse was that Sam was asleep as he laid with his body pressed up against hers, his arms enveloping her in a tight embrace. While she didn’t mind that he was asleep, it made it harder for her to do the same. It wasn’t his fault though, he had said he was going to stay awake with her until she fell asleep but quickly failed at that. In a way, feeling his chest rise and fall against hers was comforting, reassuring her that she was in a safe place. However she still wasn’t able to shake the stupid fear that she wasn’t. 

Diane finally gives up on trying to sleep and lets out a sigh, pulling herself out of his embrace and getting out of bed. She couldn’t do it any longer.

The sudden jerk out of bed brings Sam out of his sleep and he squints from the light being turned on. “Sweetheart.... wh-what are you doing?” It was three in the morning and he just wanted to get some rest before their day began later in the morning. 

Diane ignores him, grabbing clothes out of the closet and bringing them over to her bag on the floor. She couldn’t do this anymore, staying in the cabin was becoming all too much for her. 

Sam rubs his eyes before sliding out of bed and approaching her slowly, “what’s going on here?” He could tell she had a certain frustration with the way she was packing. She threw clothes carelessly into the bag, not caring to fold them up like a calm and level headed Diane would. 

“I can’t do this anymore Sam” she replies shortly and walks back over to the closet. 

Couldn’t do what? What had changed while he fell asleep? She didn’t mean do this as in their relationship did she? No that couldn’t be it, why would she be furiously packing away her things? He was beyond confused and being not fully awake didn’t help any. 

Sam walks over to the closet and gently presses his hand to her back, “I don’t know what happened while I was asleep but whatever it is, you can talk to me” he assures.

Diane finally stops and sets a few articles of clothing back down in the closet. She lets out a sigh and turns to him, “staying here doesn’t seem like the best idea anymore. I don’t feel as safe anymore and you’re not here everyday to look out for me like you always do and it seems that the better option is to just go back to Boston.”

“Sweetheart...” he reaches down and grabs her hand, bringing her back over to the bed. The two sit down and Sam turns to her, “you’ve come so far in the past almost five months that you’ve been gone. I know I can’t be here everyday to look after you but you’re tougher than you think.”

Diane shakes her head in return, “I don’t know Sam, I’m so afraid of that guy coming back and causing actual harm.” The thought that she could be alone sleeping and the man could break in at time when she was her most vulnerable and hurt her, terrified her. 

“Do you remember before we started dating when I kissed you and out of instinct you threw me over your shoulder with ease?” he questions.

“I don’t see why that story is very relevant, but I do in fact remember it” she nods.

Sam squeezes her hand, “well... that’s your proof that you’re tougher than it might seem. You threw me, a six foot three man who is twice your size, over your shoulder like I didn’t weigh a pound.” He almost felt like she didn’t even need him to protect her but he did enjoy doing it and he knew how much comfort it brought her. 

“You did make it rather easy” she smiles a little up at him.

“Ah come on... I never got a fair shot to defend myself” Sam jokes, a smile of his own coming to his face.

Diane gives him a smirk, “I don’t think you want to have a do-over Mr. Malone. We both know I’d take you down again.” The conversation about her throwing him over her shoulder like it was nothing was enough to calm her down and ground her again. Sam always had a way of calming her down when she started overthinking everything. 

A squeal comes from her when he suddenly pins her down to the bed, taking her by complete surprise. “Are you sure about that?” he questions. 

She musters up a lot of her strength and manages to flip them over, holding him down by his wrists. Another smirk comes to her face and she leans in close “I’m positive.”

Sam was now harboring his own smirk and he lets out a hum, “I think I like this dominant side of you... not something I see too often.”

“Really?” Diane raises a brow, she wasn’t necessarily someone who leaned toward being dominant and in control but from time to time it had its appeals. “Well, looks like we’ll have to explore that... tomorrow” she quickly presses a kiss to his lips and finally frees him, sliding back on to bed. 

A small groan comes from him but then again he couldn’t complain, he was still exhausted and they’d have a much more enjoyable time when they had more energy. 

The two settle back under the covers, facing each other. Diane presses her hand against her cheek with a small smile, “thank you for driving all the way here just to make me feel safe.”

Sam shrugs, “you’re my girl... I wasn’t going to let you spend the night alone and afraid.”

She feels a small flutter in her chest from being called his girl, she loved it when he called her that. His sweet comment too made her feel even better. Diane leans in and meets his lips with her own, sharing a slow and soft kiss for a few seconds before breaking away. “I mean it, thank you” she says again. 

“You can always count on me sweetheart” he replies with a smile.

If there was one thing that Diane could be completely certain of, counting on Sam was just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I almost rewrote it but once I did some editing I actually ended up really liking it. We’re gettin’ closer to some bigger plot points that I have planned and I’m excited so stay tuned! Also, feel free to leave a kudos or some feedback if you want!


	7. Chapter 7

Sam adjusts himself in bed, sitting up a little as Diane continues resting on his bare chest with her finger gently tracing shapes along it. “So I have something I need to tell you, I think it’s better to tell you now rather than later.”

She presses a gentle peck to his chest and lets out a hum, “what’s that my darling?” Diane was in complete bliss because of their evening together. The evening had been rather simple and it wasn’t as if anything monumental had taken place. All they had done as soon as she arrived was settle in on the couch and watch a movie together. As they usually did when watching a movie, some time about halfway through, one got distracted by the other teasing them which inevitably led to a night of passionate love making and now here they were. Even with the night being as easygoing as it was, she felt as if she was floating with the clouds. Maybe it was because nights like these were rare with their busy schedules and not even living together. Whatever it was, Diane didn’t question it she just soaked up every second. 

“Well, there’s some fundraiser that Frasier’s snobby group of psychiatrists are having tomorrow and...” Sam trails off, not wanting to tell Diane what Frasier had done. “He uh, he set me up with one of his colleagues. I promise that I’m only doing this for him and I’ll make it one hundred percent clear that I’m happily taken.”

There’s a moment of silence that lasts longer than Sam would’ve liked. He feels his stomach twist as he waits for her to respond. ‘Please, don’t be upset’ he thinks. 

Diane scoots up in his embrace and without saying a word, pulls him into a slow open mouthed kiss pressing just a little hard into him. She pulls back after a moment and presses her forehead against his, “I trust you.”

Confused at first, Sam relaxes as the two kiss and when he hears her words once they break apart, he feels a wave of relief wash over him. He nods, “when I get back tomorrow night it’ll be me... you... and a whole lot of lovin,” he smirks.

Diane giggles in return to his cheesy remark and meets him halfway in another kiss. She then scoots a little more on top of him and pulls the sheets up over them as the kiss begins to deepen.   
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Adjusting his tie, Diane give Sam a warm smile. Though she was sad he would be gone most of the night she was glad he was supporting Frasier for this cause. It made heart warm that he cared a great deal for Frasier and that they had become good friends over the years. 

With the tie adjusted Diane steps back and admires Sam’s look in its entirety. He was in a tan suit along with a white button down shirt underneath. Did he ever look handsome. “If you didn’t have to go in twenty minutes I’d be ripping these clothes right off of you” she smirks. She was a sucker for seeing him all dressed up like this. 

“Well forget the event then, get to tearing apart these clothes” he insists. 

Diane laughs and takes hold of his tie again, gently using it to pull him down to her level. “Perhaps you’ll get lucky when you come home later” she gives him another smirk as she goes in for a kiss. 

He takes full advantage of this opportunity to deepen the kiss, wrapping his arms around her slender waist. Sam presses himself up against her as he holds her tight, it was way too easy to get wrapped up like this.  
This was true for both of them and the second they inched closer to getting hot and heavy, she would just melt. She didn’t let him take full control though because she knew all of his sweet spots, just as he knew hers, and would take advantage of them. 

Diane wraps her arms around his neck and further falls into what felt like a spell, one she didn’t mind being under. She nearly forgot that he needed to leave as his hands begin to roam her body. One hand was inching its way toward the edge of her house dress while the other gently caressed her side. 

It takes a few more minutes before she's able to pull herself out of this spell she felt that she was under and by then her dress was already on the floor. A rosy red color fills her cheeks and she quickly bends down grab it, putting it back on right away. Once it’s straightened out she steps forward to Sam and gently pokes his chest, “you... Mr. Naughty-pants, are going to be late if you don’t get going.”

Sam lets out a laugh at her silly name for him accompanied by his charming smile, “oh... whaddya gonna do Miss Chambers? Punish me?” He raises a brow.

“Sam!” Diane pushes at his chest a little and rolls her eyes, “go on get out of here before I shove you out of here” she teases. 

Finally he obliges and holds up his hands, “yes ma’am I’m leaving now.” 

Diane smiles a little bit, “I’ll see you later tonight my darling. Please be careful, make sure you clarify to this “date” of yours that you’re happily taken, and I love you.” She watches as he steps over toward the door, nodding as he listened to her demands. 

“Yes yes, I’ll do those things. I love you too sweetheart” he smiles a little as he says the last part before grabbing his car keys and heading out the door. 

When the door closes, Diane goes up to the window next to it and takes a peek out to watch and make sure he made it out and off okay. A small pout comes to her lips as she watched his car disappear into the night, the night was going to be lonely without him.   
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“Hello?” Diane picks up the blaring phone on the table next to the couch. For the past twenty minutes that Sam had been gone, Diane had already settled into the couch with a book. She planned on doing some work on her novel a little later while she had time alone but for now, it was her time to relax.

However with the phone going off next to her, the relaxation would have to be put on hold. Especially when the person calling speaks back, “Hello Diane... how are you on this fine evening?” Sumner questions.

She sighs, what she’d to do just hang up the phone and not listen to him for another second. It was already enough that he was the reason she was in this situation of pretty much living between Boston and Maine. The only reason she had to thank him for the cabin, at least that was somewhere she could focus solely on writing. 

“Ah... Sumner, to what do I owe the pleasure?” More like displeasure but unfortunately Diane couldn’t say that to him. Whatever it was, this had better be quick so she could carry on her relaxing time before she did more work. 

“Well your publisher gave me a call and he’s formally invited you to a fundraiser that he’s attending tonight. He’s rather eager to meet you, and what an opportunity it’ll be,” Sumner replies. 

There’s a brief pause from Diane before she replies, “he wants to meet me?” her voice was suddenly hopeful, she had been dying to meet her publisher. 

“Indeed. I’ll even like I can arrange a date for you to bring along with you for the night so you’re not alone. There’s a student of mine who interns for him, it’ll be a great way to get on the publishers good side,” he continues. 

Immediately Diane rejects this, she wasn’t going to tell him about her and Sam obviously but there was no way she’s as bringing a date along. That was not happening. “Oh no no, that’s not necessary... I’m perfectly fine going alone.”

“Oh please, I insist. He’s a charming young man and he’ll make you your publishers top priority” Sumner insists, not budging on this subject. 

Another pause comes from Diane. In no way did she want to do this, how was she supposed to tell Sam? He wouldn’t be mad, he was already set up the same way twice now. She wouldn’t be able to tell him until after his event and it was going to drive her mad not being able to let him know right away. However, it seemed she wasn’t getting out of this date. Sumner was not one to let up easily and she was not up for fighting about it.

“Oh... I suppose the date with your student will be fine” Diane reluctantly agrees. 

“Brilliant!” he replies and proceeds to tell her the address and when she’s expected to be there. 

As soon as the phone call ends, Diane stands up and lets out a sigh. Apparently her night would not have any sort of relaxation in it at all.   
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Twenty minutes later and Diane walks into the building and into the room in which this fundraiser her publisher had invited her to was being held at. She did find it a bit odd that her publisher chose here and now to meet with her, she always figured it would be at his office or something of the sort. 

Nevertheless, Diane waits off to the side of the entrance for her date for the evening. She wasn’t looking forward to having a date who wasn’t Sam accompany her for the entire evening. It was best to just get through it and get it over with so she could return home and tell Sam immediately. Now she really understood where Sam had been coming from when this first happened to him. Neither had asked to be put in this position but felt they had no way out. There wasn’t the same pressure on her to hold up a reputation like there was for him but now she felt as if she was walking a mile in his shoes.

“Miss Chambers?” a soft male voice comes from just beside her. It shakes away her thoughts for now and she turns to her left. Diane is greeted by the sight of a tall and somewhat lanky student. He definitely looked to be in his twenties that was for sure. His black hair was slicked back and he was dressed in a grey suit accompanied by a dark blue tie. There was no denying that he was attractive however, seeing him actually show up only made her stomach churn a little more. This was actually happening.

She tries to push away her uneasiness, reminding herself that she could get through the evening. Besides, meeting her publisher would be a right step in the direction for her book which was nearing its completion. Diane gives him a welcoming smile and nods, “you can call me Diane... it’s nice to meet you” she sticks out her hand for a shake.

He smiles in returns and accepts the handshake. Letting go he takes a step back and informs her of his name, “I’m Alexander... it’s very nice to meet you.”

“So is Mr. Barnes here already? I’m ashamed to say that I don’t know what he looks like, I wouldn’t know him if he was here” Diane admits. In fact, all she knew about the publisher was his last name was Barnes. Perhaps she should’ve done more research on him before hand. 

Alexander shakes his head, “not yet but would you like to accompany me to the open bar? We can grab some white wine spritzers and discuss your novel.”

She nods, “that sounds rather lovely.” It wasn’t often that Diane really discussed her novel. Not that Sam wasn’t interested, he would ask almost everyday when they chatted on the phone about how it was going, if she was facing anymore writers block, but they hadn’t discussed what the novel was really about. Besides she tried to keep the talk about it to a minimum with Sam, wanting to focus on their relationship when they were together. 

Alexander offers Diane his arm, which she reluctantly takes and begins to guide her over to the bar. Her uneasiness begins to settle in again as they walk, she didn’t like that people thought they were in fact on a date. She needed to find a way soon to mention that she was happily taken.   
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Sam walks through the room with his date, Emily, holding on to his arm. Thankfully he had already found the time to tell her that he was taken and she was more than relieved to hear that he didn’t actually want anything from this evening. She too had tried to weasel her way out of being set up by Frasier for the night but had also failed. That was something they had bonded over. 

As they continue walking, Sam notices a petite blonde woman in a black dress standing at the bar. She looked an awful lot like Diane to him but it couldn’t be her, could it? 

He tilts his head to the side, trying to get a view of her face but it was impossible with the person toward the bar. Maybe he was just seeing things. 

“Everything alright?” Emily questions.

Sam nods and brushes it off, “yeah I thought I saw someone I knew but I think I’m just seeing things,” he explains.

As the two get closer to the bar, the couple that was standing there turns but not completely toward Sam and Emily. They turn just enough for him to see that it was in fact Diane who had been standing there but who the hell was she with?

Sam’s eyes widen as he sees her begin to walk with some guy. Why was she here? Why was she with some other guy? He hadn’t just caught her cheating had he? No, no Diane was just as crazy about him as he was about her. There was no way she was seeing someone else, he couldn’t even imagine her doing such a thing. 

“Uh Emily” Sam pulls his arm away and turns toward the brunette, “why don’t you get us some drinks? I’ll meet you back at our table in a few.”

Her brows furrow at that but she doesn’t question and nods, walking toward the bar. As soon as she’s gone, Sam rushes to catch up with Diane and her date. He needed to know what this was about immediately.

It takes a few minutes for him to catch up but when he finally does he collects himself and taps on Diane’s shoulder. She was standing across from her date at a table near the door. “Excuse me, miss, could I have a word for a moment?”

He notices her head shoot up from the glass she had been looking at when she hears his voice and watches as she turns. “Sam?” 

“Hi Diane” Sam gives her a somewhat fake smile. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy to see her but he had a lot of emotions running through him and happy wasn’t the front runner. 

“Uh, Diane, do you know this person?” her date’s voice questions from the other end of the table. 

Diane takes ahold of the black purse she had brought along and slides it over her shoulder. “If you’ll excuse me Alexander, I need to have a chat with this gentleman.”

Once her date nods, Sam gives her a questioning look and follows her out of the room that the event was being held in and into the hall. “What in the world are you doing here?” he questions the second they step out.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were at that fundraiser for Frasier” Diane returns.

“Sweetheart this is the fundraiser for Frasier’s colleagues. Didn’t you recognize any of them? I thought you were friends” Sam questions.

She shakes her head, “I haven’t been here all too long, I never noticed. In fact I have yet to see Frasier so far.”

He shifts the subject, needing to know why she was with this guy. “Who’s the boy scout?” he jabs at her date being a lot younger than she was. “I thought you were into older men” he adds with a raised brow.

“Sam...” she begins and shakes her head, “I was planning on telling you the second I got out of here about this. Sumner called me after you left, frankly I’m not sure how he knew I was at our house nor how he got the number, but he called and said my publisher wanted to meet me at this fundraiser tonight. Of course Sumner being the scum of the Earth that he is, insisted that I take his student, Alexander, with me as a date for the evening. As a way to get in the good graces with my publisher because the student works for the publisher” she explains.

He sighs as he realizes that she had been put in almost the exact same situation that he had been put in twice now. “Screw Sumner” he gripes.

Diane smiles a little at that, “well we can’t exactly be seen together. I’m not entirely ready to put our relationship out there and tell everyone that we’ve been together this whole time.”

Sam nods and takes a couple steps closer to her, he was feeling more relaxed and any negative or silly assumptions he had about why Diane was there has slipped away. “I know and I’m not either but it definitely doesn’t help when we have to spend our nights like this,” he sighs.

A pout comes to her lips and she brings her arms around his waist, “I know none of this has been easy but let’s focus on getting this night over as quick as we can so we can be together again.”

“That would be nice, I want to have another night like last night” Sam admits.

Her pout turns into a smile and she nods, “I do too my love, but we’ll be there sooner than you think” she assures.

He groans a little but nods in return, knowing that there was no point in arguing. The two then meet in a slow gentle kiss on the lips before parting. They don’t completely pull away though and Diane leans over and whispers into his ear, “by the way... I most certainly am into older men. They’re much more... arousing.”

Diane then steps and gives him a wink before smirking and walking back into the event hall. She then confidently strides back to where her date was still waiting. Did she ever love teasing Sam.   
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After the conversation with Diane in the hallway, Sam’s night seemed to go by even slower than before. He couldn’t take his mind off of her nor could he take his eyes off of her. He tried to focus on Emily and make it seem like they were having a wonderful date, especially when Frasier would stop by. The second his friend was gone though Sam’s gaze was fixated back on Diane and Alexander. 

Though Sam would never admit to it, the passage of time only made him fill more and more with jealousy. It wasn’t that he was mad at the student who was accompanying her, he was absolutely jealous that he wasn’t the one sitting next to her all evening or asking her to dance. 

Each time he would catch Diane laughing at a joke Alexander would tell or give her bright shining smile to him, it would send a bolt of jealousy through him. This whole night watching her from afar with another man only confirmed what he felt for her further. Sam loathed seeing someone else at her side. Though she wasn’t in the slightest interested in the student and he knew this, witnessing all that really opened his eyes up to what life would be like without her. They had been apart before, they weren’t together for a year and when he propose more times than he can count, they still weren’t together right away. Something about this was different than seeing her with Frasier or any other man in her life. Maybe it was because he had grown since their first break up and had a deep desire to marry her. 

“She really must be something” Emily says as Sam’s attention is drawn back over to where Diane was currently dancing with Alexander.

“What?” He turns his head, having not heard what entirely she has said. His mind was too preoccupied to process what Emily had said.

“I said she must really be something to have you staring at her like some lovesick dog” Emily slightly chuckles.

Sam smiles a little and nods, “she is... I don’t tell her enough but she’s my whole world and I don’t know what I would do without her.”

That makes Emily smile in return, “then why don’t you go over there and make sure she knows?”

He shakes his head at that, “she was set up tonight like we were and we don’t want to be seen together by our friends just yet. It’s a long story but we’ve both agreed to keep our relationship to ourselves.”

“I’m no relationship expert but I can tell you what women like to hear. I promise you that if you remind her that she’s your everything and show her that she means something to you, she will never forget about it” Emily presses. 

Sam glances back over to where Diane was and considers for a moment. He did feel like he didn’t tell her enough how much she meant to him. They exchanged I love you’s almost every single day but for the most part he still tried to dodge any heart-to-heart conversations. Those were still something he was trying to learn to appreciate. 

“I don’t know... maybe now isn’t the time” he backs out of it for now, convincing himself that it was best to wait until they were alone. 

Emily shrugs, “if you insist.” The two then go back to being quiet again, leaving Sam to mull over his thoughts. 

He spends the next twenty minutes watching Diane off and on again from his table. Watching the two of them again only made the jealousy build right back up but this time it hits an ultimate high. It wasn’t anything in particular but his impatience for the night to be over.

Sam steps away from his table, telling Emily not to expect him back again. He begins to walk over toward Diane and Alexander. Sitting back and watching her all night with a “date” had driven him mad. It was hard enough that they weren’t together everyday and now he had to watch this. 

As Sam reaches the two, Diane steps back from the table and gives him a warm smile. “Hi my love” she greets.

His greeting is much different. Instead of saying hello or anything at all, Sam grabs her by the nape of her neck and crashes their lips together. He no longer cared if Frasier or Lilith saw them. At least in the moment he didn’t care. 

At first Diane is taken aback, she certainly hadn’t expected him to greet her in such a way. Though as the kiss grows deeper she practically melts and wraps one arm around his neck and the other grabs on to his back. The kiss only doesn’t last too long and when they break Diane is breathless, absolutely intoxicated by him.

Sam breaks apart the hold they still had on each other and takes her hand, “come on... let’s get out of here.”

Still slightly breathless and filled with a new burning desire, Diane nods and lets Sam quickly guide them out of the room and out of the building.   
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“You know...” Sam begins as his fingers lightly trace along her bare back. They were back where they had been at the start of their weekend, cuddled up together after a night of pure romance. “I was chatting with Emily before I came over to you and abruptly ended the night at the fundraiser. She made me realize something” he mentions.

Diane’s head was on his chest and she was tracing her fingers along his chest. This was a usual thing for her to do when they cuddled in this position. Her head would lay right near his heart and her fingers would trace shapes along his chest, both were incredibly soothing for her. “What’s that?” she questions, carrying on with what she was doing. 

“I was watching you all night” he sheepishly admits. He could be jealous at times but he kept it dialed back for the most part. Sam didn’t care if she had guy friends nor if she spent time with them. The only times he had ever felt really jealous was the times she purposely tried to make him jealous. It was hard to watch her with someone else when he felt so deeply toward her. “Emily noticed me watching you and we talked a little and I realized that I don’t tell you enough that you’re my whole world. It’s so cheesy but I mean it... my life is so much better with you in it.”

Sam thinks about what he had said and how ooey-gooey, touchy-feely it was. What would his old self say about this? Who was this Sam Malone? He had never been so in love in his entire life. The bachelor side of him felt so far behind that it felt as if it was a lifetime ago. Even though what he had said was so sqooshy, that’s how he made her feel. Diane made him feel all sqooshy inside. For the first time in a long, long time Sam actually liked that feeling. 

Diane stops the repetitive motions across his chest that she had been doing and pulls herself up. She sits up next to him, the waterworks already beginning. She couldn’t help it, hearing Sam say those words was something she always hoped for. In all their years together as lovers or as friends she knew he loved her, he even said so himself, and knowing that always meant a great deal to her. However, hearing that she was his world had struck a different chord. “Oh I’m sorry” Diane apologizes and quickly wipes her eyes with a chuckle.

Sam chuckles too, reaching forward and brushing her blonde locks behind her ear, smiling as he does so. 

The second she’s done wiping her eyes, a big smile comes to Diane’s face. Her hands come to his cheeks and she pulls him close, pressing their foreheads together. “You’re my world too, my everything,” she says in a soft voice before bringing their lips together in a slow kiss. 

Both felt that their hearts were overflowing, that they had surpassed cloud nine and gone even further. The entire weekend had been one that both would cherish and remember for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew okay this was a long one but I really enjoyed writing it! I hope you all enjoy reading it. Also a side note: it’s never said plainly but Sumner lied about meeting her publisher. Just so there’s no confusion as to why that didn’t happen lol. Kudos/feedback are always welcome!


	8. Chapter 8

Once again their bedroom was filled with the sound of the springs in the bed below them creaking and their moans. 

“Mmm... god, Diane...” Sam lets out a moan, gripping onto her hips as she quickens her pace on top of him. At the same time, her lips were focused in on his neck nipping away at the now slightly bruised skin, deepening mark she wanted to leave behind. 

It was a little over a month later, the morning of Christmas. Diane had awakened much earlier than Sam and spent an hour or so getting ready to give him his first gift of the day. Once he finally woke up, she had just finished putting the finishing touches on her look and surprised him with a sexy christmas inspired nightie. The red lacy garment was like another she owned except this one had white faux fur lining along her breasts. The look was very subtle in regard to Christmas, she even added a santa hat just to get more into the spirit. Sam didn’t give too much thought to how Christmasy the outfit was though because the second she started to get on the bed with it on, the garment disappeared within mere seconds. 

Soon her lips return to his in a rough open mouthed kiss, their tongues both taking turns at dominance before eventually moving together as one. While kissing, Sam grips onto Diane’s hips again and quickly flips the two over so that he could be on top. 

Their heated kiss then breaks as he comes down to do his own work and leave behind a mark. He starts at her neck and works his was down slightly toward one of her breasts, beginning to kiss and lightly suck there. He intended on leaving behind a mark that only she could see. 

A loud moan comes from Diane this time as he does that and it only encourages him onward. Her nails drag up and down his back, hard enough to leave behind red marks afterward. “Sam...” she moans, her body filled with absolute pleasure. 

The room quickly fills with the added sound of the headboard behind them hitting against the wall as it always did when they made love. 

_Thump Thump Thump_ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Rolling over in bed, Diane feels around for her fiancé and pouts when she finds his side of the bed empty. What time was it? Had she nodded off this morning after the little Christmas celebration? All she remembered was the two getting settled again in bed, Sam’s comforting arms wrapped around her where she felt safe and cozy and that was it. She must’ve fallen right back to sleep. Where had he gone though?

She sits up, rubs her eyes, and stretches before finally pulling herself out of bed. Still somewhat tired, the blonde steps out of the bedroom and makes her way downstairs. As of lately she had been feeling more tired than usual but Diane just chalked it up to stress. 

As Diane reaches the bottom of the steps, her nostrils are hit with the smell of bacon coming from the kitchen. She could hear light sizzling in the distance too. Sam was cooking breakfast? What a pleasant surprise. He didn’t always cook so when he did, she greatly appreciated it. 

Stepping into the kitchen, Diane smiles as she sees him standing at the stove cooking away. He was wearing nothing but grey sweatpants which she loved him in. Realizing that he wasn’t paying any attention, Diane creeps up behind him and wraps her arms around his waist. “Am I dreaming?” she teases.

Sam chuckles, “well considering I’m the star of all of your dreams... it’s possible” he jokes. 

That earns him a giggle in return, “you wish.” She couldn’t deny it though, he was in a large majority of her dreams and she didn’t mind that at all. “So what time is it? I don’t remember falling asleep” Diane mentions and presses a kiss to his shoulder as he keeps cooking. 

“Oh only nine, you nodded off a few minutes after we started cuddling and after about... oh an hour later I thought breakfast would be nice so here I am,” he explains. 

“Ah so an attractive man who not only is good in bed but also will cook me breakfast afterwards? I guess you’re a keeper after all” she jokes again.

“Mm no no Diane you misunderstood, I thought breakfast would be nice for me. You just got lucky you woke up in time” he teases right back. 

“Saaaam” she rolls her eyes and pokes at his side for that comment.

He laughs once more, “I’m only kidding.”

She smiles a little, knowing he was doing just that. “I know but-” a sudden waft of the eggs in front of them cooking away makes Diane cut her sentence short. The smell made her extremely nauseous so she steps back, afraid she was going to throw up.

Sam turns when she suddenly cuffs off her sentence and pulls away, “you okay?” he questions and notices her face lose what little color it had. 

“Y-yeah... the smell of eggs has really been bothering me lately. I...I don’t know why...” Diane then takes a few steps toward the hallway, knowing she needed to get to the toilet before she threw up last night’s dinner. 

The second she steps out of the room, she runs to the closest bathroom. The smell had stuck around after stepping away which only made her nausea worse. 

Sam quickly turns off the burners he was cooking on and immediately throws out the eggs he had been cooking. There was no point in making her throw up again.

The second she returns he goes over and takes one of her hands, “are you okay? Do you want me to cancel the plans for tonight?” He wasn’t sure the severity of her sickness, if she was sick.

Diane shakes her head and squeezes his hand, “no no don’t cancel the plans. I don’t know what that was about, I think I’ve just been under a lot of stress lately with the book almost being finished. I’ll be okay” she assures.

Sam smiles a little, “that’s my trooper” he says and quickly pecks her on the lips.

She smiles in return at that then pulls away, there was no way a little bit of stress was going to get in their way. They had an evening of romance planned consisting of a romantic dinner at four star restaurant they both enjoyed. Sam had even made sure to get them their own private area which Diane found to be incredibly sweet. After, they were going to go on a carriage through a Christmas light show, where they could enjoy each other’s company and see the park all decked out for the holiday. By the end of the night they’d retire back into the comfort of their home and cuddle up on the couch with the Christmas classic, _White Christmas_ , playing in the background. All in all the evening was one she was definitely not going to miss out on.⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀———⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀

“I thought you said no gifts this year sweetheart” Sam says as she hands him a gift. 

Diane shrugs, “just a little token of appreciation for my fella. I don’t expect anything in return.”

He sets aside the gift for a moment and gets up from the couch. Walking over to the other side of the Christmas tree, Sam leans down and grabs a gift from under it. “Well, I guess I'll just have to keep this for myself then” he teases. 

Her eyes go wide at that comment, “oh no no no pleaseee don’t throw it out Sammy pleeaasseee.” A pout comes to her lips as she sees the gift in his hands, she was dying to know what he got her. 

“Oh alright... but it comes at a little price” Sam smirks. 

“A price? Sam, it’s Christmas! There’s no price!” 

He laughs in return and steps over to her, “all I ask is for you to pay the fine of one kiss.”

Diane shakes her head with a smile, he could really be so silly sometimes. She steps a little closer and since she was barefoot, pushes up on her tippy toes and kisses his lips gently. It lasts barley a second but that was enough for him, “Merry Christmas Sweetheart” Sam smiles and offers up the gift. 

“Oh thank you! Thank you!” she squeals and takes the gift from him. 

The two settle back on the couch and Sam allows Diane to go first with the gift opening. Inside the white box she had uncovered was a gold bracelet with the word “toujours” printed on a little rectangular piece of the bracelet which meant “always” in French. Diane stares at the bracelet, speechless for a moment. She couldn’t believe Sam took the time not only to get this bracelet for her but to get one with a word in arguably her favorite language besides English. This meant he took the time to look up what “toujours” meant in English. The tears weren’t far behind and they quickly flood into her eyes and down her cheeks, “Sam...”

Concerned, thinking that he had screwed up the bracelet he jumps to conclusions, “what? is it wrong?”

Diane shakes her head, “no no... it’s perfect. You’re perfect” she then sets aside the box and grabs his cheeks, bringing him in for a slow, sweet kiss on the lips. This gift and the pure fact that he thought they were always going to be together meant everything to her. 

His arms come around her as he relaxes more into the kiss, relieved that she was elated with her gift. The two pull away moments later and Sam helps her out by putting the bracelet around her left wrist, where it fits perfectly. She smiles, “like my ring... it’s never coming off.” Just mere inches from her bracelet was her engagement ring, one that she had put on the second they got back together. Though she wasn’t sure when they’d marry, she was positive they would. The bracelet only reassured that thought. 

“Well,” Diane rests back against the couch, “I’m not so sure my gift will live up to yours but Merry Christmas darling.”

Sam smiles, knowing that no matter what gift she gave to him he was going to love it. When he unwraps it, he comes to find a somewhat large and plain black book. “A book?” he questions with confusion. He was not a book person and Diane knew this, hopefully there was more than meets the eye on this one. 

“Open it” she encourages. 

He obliges and opens the book to find pictures of the two of them on the first page. Continuing to flip through the book, Sam finds the pages to be filled with different pictures of them that they had taken over the years. They were from either the past year or from the very beginning of their relationship. “I realized I had so many photos of us together and I thought why not put them together in a little memory book. It certainly doesn’t match up to your gift but I hope you like it” Diane explains.

She had to admit she was somewhat worried it wasn’t enough. Perhaps she should’ve bought him something, something to do with baseball or sailing. Maybe she should’ve made a more meaningful gift. It was just a photo book after all, she didn’t put as much into it as she could’ve. 

“Are you kidding? I love it. I’ve not seen some of these photos in years. Thank you, Diane” Sam assures. The pages of this book brought back memories he had forgotten about, such as certain nights they spent together. It made his heart warm, this was something he could go back through along with her letters when he was really missing her. 

Sam closes the book and sets it off to the side. He then scoots closer to his fiancée and puts an arm around her. Gently, he pushes some hair behind her ear and gives her a smile. “What?” Diane questions as she scoots closer to him.

She loved it when he wore that charming bright smile of his, every time she saw it her heart did a backflip. Though she definitely had an inkling as to what he was thinking, it was always nice to hear what had brought about that smile.

“I’m just really glad we get to spend Christmas together” Sam replies.

“Well, you did make a couple of sacrifices to be here so thank you for spending this beautiful holiday with me.” She knew that even though he was happy to be spending his time with her that part of him wanted to be with their friends later. Frasier and Lilith werehosting a Christmas party at their townhouse and since they couldn’t both go, Sam agreed to make alternate plans to spend Christmas with her. There was no way she’d let him not spend Christmas with her, but she did feel bad for making him give up time with their friends. This certainly wasn’t the first time. Gosh, she couldn’t wait for her novel to be finished and be in the process of publishing, then they’d rarely have to worry about these sorts of situations. 

Sam shrugs, “it’s no big deal. Besides... it’ll be better next year when you can actually be at the party with me.”

That brings about a big smile to Diane’s face and she leans in, only inches from his lips, “I love you my sweet Sammykins.”

He laughs a little at the name, not having heard it in quite awhile. “I love you too Diane” he replies and meets her halfway in a soft kiss.⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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The rest of their evening goes off without a hitch. Their dinner was spent chatting for nearly the entirety of it. Just as they did in their nightly phone calls when apart, the two talked about everything and nothing. There were definitely disagreements here and there about the greatest film of all time. Sam’s favorite was _The Godfather_ and he argued and argued with Diane that it was certainly the greatest film of all time. On the other hand, she argued that _Gone With the Wind_ certainly was the greatest film of all time and _The Godfather_ was no match. Thankfully though, they were able to come to a common ground and put aside their differences. Either way, they enjoyed the arguing and it only fueled their conversation deeper until the dinner came to an end. 

An hour later and now the two were sitting in their carriage as the tour guide took them through the park. Diane’s head was resting on Sam’s shoulder and her arm was gripping tight on to his. Neither really spoke, only enjoying the romantic little journey. 

The park was decorated like no other. Lights lit up many of the trees, parts of the park were filled with decorations that fit a particular theme— the one they had passed was Frosty the Snowman themed. Every second so far had been nothing short of magical. 

As they continue to slowly stroll through the park, Diane interrupts the silence as she feels her stomach do a complete flip and her nausea return. “Sam...”

“Hm?” he questions absentmindedly as he continues staring off to the side at the heavily decorated park. 

She pulls herself off his shoulder and takes his hand, “I hate to put a damper on our day together but... it seems my nausea has returned. I’m afraid if we don’t get out of here, well, it won’t be pretty.”

Thankfully she had control over the nausea as of now. Hopefully she could hold off on anything happening until they got home. Diane would be extremely embarrassed if she threw up here or in Sam’s car. It was best they asked their tour guide to turn them around and take them back immediately. ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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The second they returned home, Diane had ran off to the bathroom and threw up. That was not how she expected their evening to go. 

A sigh comes from her as she steps out of the bathroom again, now completely out of the stunning red turtleneck dress she had been wearing. She was dressed only in one of Sam’s button down shirts and did she ever feel awful. “I’m sorry for ruining our night Sam...” she sighs as she walks over to the couch where he was waiting. 

Sam shrugs, “it’s okay... I care more about your health than how our night went.”

Diane sits across from him, “why don’t you go to that party Frasier and Lilith are hosting? I know you wanted to go. It beats sitting around here with me hoping you don’t catch whatever I might have” she insists.

“Nah... I don’t want to leave you. Someone has to take care of you” he smiles a little as he says the last part. 

Taking his hand, Diane gives him her own small smile. It wasn’t as bright and cheery as her usual one, she was exhausted from throwing up so many times since they got home. Whatever this was finally settled in and was not going to be letting up. “This is why I love you. However, I know I’ve pulled you away from a lot of social partaking with your friends since we got back together. Go to the party for me, your sick fiancée who loves you very very much, and doesn’t want you to lose your friends because you’ve been spending all your time with her.” 

Sam chuckles a little and nods, “oh alright I guess it wouldn’t hurt to stop by for a little while. Only if you promise you’ll be okay here by yourself.”

Diane leans forward and gently kisses his forehead, “I’m your trooper remember? I’ll be fine.”

A smile comes to his face as he recalls referring to her as his trooper earlier in the day. “Alright then, I better get going before the party ends.” Sam pulls himself off the couch and Diane does the same so she could follow him to the door to give him a kiss goodbye. 

At the door, Diane watches as he slides back on his coat and shoes. “Have a good time, please don’t get into too much trouble. I love you so much.”

Once he’s ready to go, Sam walks over and smiles, “I love you more” he insists. 

She gives him a brighter smile than before, that comment lightening her mood. “If I could kiss you without the worry of getting you sick... I would.”

He leans down and kisses the top of her head before pulling away. “I’ll see you in an hour or so.”

With that, Sam leaves the house and Diane watches until his car disappears. As soon as it does, she rushes back to their room and throws on a pair of pants quickly. She needed to get to the drug store before it closed. She was incredibly grateful that they were even open on Christmas or this would be eating her up for days.

Ten minutes later, Diane stares at the large section of pregnancy tests before her in the drug store, unsure of which to buy. At some point while throwing up more than once when they arrived home, it had dawned on her what all of this could be. The aversion to eggs, throwing up, increased fatigue, and the odd cravings she had experienced in the past week or so. All of it added up to one thing— pregnancy. 

This scared the hell out of her and yet excited her for their future. Could she even handle being a mother at this stage in her life though? She wasn’t sure. 

Sighing, Diane grabs multiple tests and sticks them in her little basket. She wasn’t about to wait any longer to find out if pregnancy was making her feel so ill. All of it made sense and this was the only conclusion she was able to come to. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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The minute Diane enters the quiet home, she quickly goes to the nearest bathroom and takes all three tests she had purchased. Three was just to be sure she didn’t receive a false result. 

She sits down on the couch moments after taking the tests and closes her eyes. These next few minutes were probably going to be the longest ones of her life. This was not the way she wanted to discover she was pregnant, if she was, but life always had other plans for her. 

It was hard to narrow down exactly how she was feeling, her emotions were running in about fifty different directions and no one emotion as in the lead. 

Part of her wished that Sam was here but there was no way she was springing this type of news on him. Not until she knew the answer and even then she would wait until she found the right way to tell him. However, she knew there was no right way of telling him. The news of pregnancy was something that would change their entire life and no one could prepare for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do we think? Is Diane pregnant? You’ll have to wait and see until the next chapter! Seriously though, I hope you all enjoyed reading and as always, feel free to leave kudos/feedback. Thank you for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

Everyday on Earth humans make wrong decisions. Instead of taking time to think things through, they decide to act upon emotions. In some situations there’s no time to think, just to act. Why waste time thinking and over analyzing every step one takes when taking the plunge is a lot quicker? Sometimes this is necessary. Getting caught up in the moment happens, one finds themself wrapped up in feeling deep love for another and all the option to think things through goes out the window. Usually on any given day, Diane will analyze the blood out of everything. However when she and the love of her life, Sam, become wrapped up in the moment her brain lets go of that over analyzing as the emotions find their way in. Several times she and Sam had made the wrong decision to not use any protection during sex. She was currently kicking herself for that decision in these grueling minutes waiting for the pregnancy tests to tell her her fate.

Did she want to be a mother? More than anything. She wanted to create life out of their undying love for one another. The problem was, she didn’t know what Sam wanted. That and at this point in her life, bringing a child into the mix was not favorable. She wanted to have a child when their relationship was more stable and when she felt mentally stable. Maybe they would try in a few months from now, but for now it just doesn’t seem like their best option.

What would happen if the test was positive though? Diane knew she would be absolutely thrilled and at the same time, scared out of her mind. What if Sam didn’t want to have a child yet? They had discussed having a family early on in their engagement but then life took a different direction and now here they were. There was one thing that did make her feel better though, she knew he would never hate her or leave her if she turned out to be pregnant. They would do this side by side and that was probably the most comforting thought about all of this. 

Diane glances at the clock after what felt like a whole lifetime had passed and sees that it had been long enough for the pregnancy tests to tell her the results. She lets out a nervous sigh as she gets up from the couch and walks back to the bathroom down the hall. 

Entering the bathroom, she steps slowly over to the three tests that were waiting for her on the bathroom counter. At first glance, her heart begins to pound as she sees two lines on the very first one she took. However, the other two tests show one line and that sends a rush of relief over her. She wasn’t pregnant, not for now anyway.   
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Sam steps into their home a little over an hour later. He had to admit, he loved Diane so much but getting to spend time with his friends outside of the bar for the first time in awhile was a lot of fun. He didn’t mind spending a majority of his time with her, but sometimes it was nice to just take some time with his buddies.

As he’s pulling off his jacket, he smiles as Diane comes down the stairs still in his shirt. “Hi sweetheart, I hope you didn’t miss me too much.”

She smiles in return and steps into the foyer with him, “actually you didn’t cross my mind once in the past hour.”

“Funny, neither did you” he pushes the tease right back.

Diane rolls her eyes at that but smiles, “did you have a good time?” She wasn’t going to spring her last hour on him right away, it was best to ease him into it so they could have a chat about their future. 

“Actually, I did. I’m glad you made me go, it was really nice to spend some time with everyone outside of the bar.”

The two stay standing in the foyer for a little longer as he hangs up his coat and begins to slide out of his shoes. “I’m happy you enjoyed your time with them. I hope I’m not stealing you away from them too often” she comments.

“Nah, I like spending all of my time with you. The occasional outing with them is enough for me” Sam assures. He then puts his shoes off to the side where other pairs were neatly lined up and continues, “but enough about me, how have things been here?”

Diane shrugs, “oh you know... I took a nap after throwing up so many times, did some reading, now here we are” she lies.

He takes hold of her hand once he’s finally settled and lets her lead the way over to the living room. Diane chooses their big and cozy chair and pulls it close to the lit fireplace. Sam meanwhile grabs their grey fleece throw blanket and pulls it over both of them as they get cuddled up in the chair. 

“Sam can I ask you something?” she questions, moving as close as she can to him. 

He pauses for a moment to consider, “that depends... is it: can we have sex? Because if not then sorry but I’m closed for the night sweetheart.” Sam was only joking, he really couldn’t help it. 

Diane glares at him and shakes her head, “your mind.... always in the gutter.”

“Ohh...” Sam takes her hand again and squeezes it, “you know I’m only kidding. Well, for the most part” he smirks.

“Sam!” she scolds, becoming somewhat frustrated. As much as she enjoyed teasing him and their lighthearted banter, now was not the time. There was some serious problems to discuss in concern to their future. 

With her voice becoming more stern and serious, he realizes that he stepped a little out of line. “Okay alright I’m sorry babe. What’s on your mind?”

“When you think about where you’ll be in ten years from now... what do you see?” The pregnancy scare had brought on more than just the thought of children. If Diane was honest, she didn’t know what their future held. They almost avoided the subject when brought up because of the fear of breaking up again. No more of that, she needed to know what he wanted. It wasn’t that she was questioning how serious he took the relationship, she knew very well that he was serious about them. However, as for their future whether it be their wedding, his career, or having children was all a question to her. 

Sam looks at his fiancée, puzzled at first. The future wasn’t something be thought much about. He simply wanted to live in the moment, partially because of the fear of what would happen in a matter of days from now. Now that he was being questioned it seemed he couldn’t avoid it any longer. “What do I see?”

He pauses for a moment, even though the thoughts about the future were definitely limited for him he did have some idea of what he hoped for. “I see you, I see the two of finally us married maybe even celebrating ten years by then. I still see myself at Cheers but maybe not around as often because we have a family to take care of. Well, if you still want children that is. We’re living in this house still and we’re happy.” It was simple, Sam didn’t desire anything big. All he wanted was to be with her and to have a happy life together. 

The weight of the past hour lifts off of her when she hears what he envisions for the future. They were on the same page and that reassured her. “Sometime when I was throwing up I realized what all of my symptoms could be. While you were gone, I went to the drug store and bought three pregnancy tests. The first came back positive but the other two were negative. Those three minutes felt like the longest of my life, I want kids but not now... we’re not ready for it” Diane admits

Sam raises his eyebrows as he listens to her admission, realizing what she had been going through definitely mimicked pregnancy symptoms. “I didn’t even consider that you could be pregnant... wow, I’m sorry for putting you through that sweetheart.”

She shakes her head, “it’s okay, we’re both at fault. I’m on birth control but I should’ve reminded you to wear a condom.”

“Nah it’s my fault, I’ll be more prepared in the future. I don’t want you worrying about pregnancy when you’re not ready” he assures, taking full blame for the situation.

Diane wasn’t so sure he was fully at fault, but she wasn’t going to argue about it with him. “Anyway, I asked you about the future because the pregnancy scare made me realize... I don’t know what’s next for us.”

“Maybe I should ask you the same question... what do you see in the future?” Sam retaliates.

“Well the second I’m done with this novel, I’m marrying you. Nothing and no one will stand in the way of that. I want to continue writing but I’m never going back to that cabin again. Perhaps I’ll get a job somewhere else and leave writing as a side job. I still see us here too taking care of our beautiful family” she smiles a little. First was the wedding and though they didn’t have many plans, she was excited. All that mattered was that they were going to exchange vows and finally become one. “Though I think we may need to tell our friends about us soon if we plan on having a wedding” she adds.

“Okay so let’s talk about that. Do you want a wedding? I know you wanted one before and well... we know how that worked out” Sam points out. Their “wedding” at Cheers was still a sore spot for him. Watching her leave thinking he’d never see her again was one of the most painful things he had ever done. 

Diane ponders for a moment, she couldn’t blame him for being timid about another wedding. “I do think a little get together of the people we love would be nice... besides, once we actually get married this time around... you’ll remember the beautiful memory instead of the painful one of our first go at it.” She knew he would never actually forget about when she left for Maine, but it would help in a way. 

“I guess you do have a good point, I know you’d prefer to not have a courthouse wedding anyhow” he nods. 

“It’s not that I have anything against it... I would prefer to be somewhere romantic where it’s only us and our friends” she explains. At their first wedding, Cheers did give her that romantic feeling and closeness to their friends. It was where they met and made so many memories, but before she left she decided that she didn’t want to get married in the bar. It almost felt cursed since every wedding that was meant to be held there never actually went through. 

Sam nods, understanding where she was coming from. A wedding in a courthouse didn’t exactly scream romance and he wanted to give her whatever she desired. “Okay, this might be a stupid suggestion and you can shoot me down if you don’t like it, but what if we got married here?” he suggests. 

“Here?” her brows furrow at that suggestion, questioning that he actually meant at this house. 

“Yeah. We’ll set up the backyard however you want, invite our friends, and have a very small ceremony. It’s romantic because this is our first home we’ve ever owned together and we’ve already made some unforgettable moments here. It’s the perfect spot” Sam explains.

Diane considers his suggestion, he did make a lot of excellent points. Plus they wouldn’t have to go anywhere, they’d be right at the venue the morning of and all of their friends knew where it was. The more she thought about it, the more she liked it. “Okay” she smiles up at him, “let’s do it.”

Smiling back, Sam leans down to kiss her on the lips but remembers that she was still recovering from whatever sickness she had developed. Instead of kissing her lips he kisses her forehead and pulls back, “I can’t wait until this sickness of yours goes away, not kissing you is very difficult” he chuckles.

She laughs as well, “don’t worry I’ll be as good as new soon and you can do all the kissing to me you want.”   
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The rest of the night is split into two halves: talking and taking care of Diane. When Sam had arrived home it was about ten at night and they had stayed up talking until at least one in the morning. They chatted about how many children they wanted because both did want a family someday. Surprisingly, without argument, both wanted four children. Sam had joked about wanting to have nearly enough children for a family baseball team which Diane detested. By one in the morning, Diane had fallen asleep in his arms when she got a little too cozy in his embrace. He found it very sweet and carried her off to bed. 

The two were out for a few hours before Diane woke up around four in the morning and continued her ongoing sickness. At first Sam didn’t wake up but after the second time of her getting out of bed, he crept into the bathroom after she finished throwing up again. Now the two were sitting on the bathroom floor with her head against his shoulder. “If this is what pregnancy is like then I’m sorry sweetheart but you’re not getting any children out of me” she jokes to her her mind off of how terrible she felt. 

“No argument from me, I hate seeing you like this” he replies as his hand rubs up and down along her side. 

The two stay side by side with Sam’s arm around her for several minutes. It seemed now that her stomach had calmed down and the vomiting had come to a halt. By now, it was reaching five in the morning and both were exhausted. However, Sam wanted to be sure she was okay so he’d stay up for the rest of the night if he had to. 

“Do you think you can make it back to bed?” he questions after a little more silence. 

An exaggerated sigh comes from her, “I don’t wanna walk” she complains. 

He chooses not to argue and instead secures her arm around his neck and his own under her knees and the other holding onto her side. Carefully, Sam lifts her and carries his sick fiancée back into bed and gently tucks her in. “You get comfortable, I’ll be right back.” 

Sam then disappears from the room and returns five minutes later with a heating pad, water, medicine, and a small bowl of pretzels so she’d have something in her stomach. 

“What’s all this?” she questions, her voice sounding as sick as ever. 

“Well, you’re my girl and I wasn’t gonna sit back and watch you suffer. I brought a heating pad to help with the pain, some medicine that’ll hopefully help make you feel better, water to keep you hydrated, and pretzels so you have something in your stomach” Sam says as he begins to set the items down on the bedside table.

She pouts up at him as she watches, he didn’t know how much it meant to her that he was doing all of this. It was small, sure, something anyone with a heart would do but it just reminded her how much he really did care. Diane cherished reminders like this. 

“Sam?” she questions.

“Yes?” he questions in return and turns his attention from the table to her. 

“Thank you for taking care of me...” 

Sam gives her a small smile and pulls down the bedsheets to place the heating pad on her belly. “Anything for you sweetheart” he replies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guess she wasn’t pregnant then congrats! I’m predictable 😂 haha but seriously I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave a kudos or any feedback if you’d like! I’ll see you soon with the next chapter, thank you so much for reading this one.


	10. Chapter 10

Tears stream down her cheeks as her attempts to fight them from falling fail. A sigh comes from her as she stares out the window in the backseat of the cab she was taking. This day didn’t go as she expected, it was like something out of one of her nightmares. Diane tried and tried again to pull herself awake, maybe this all was a really bad dream. However she knew that wasn’t the case, everything that was currently happening and everything that had already happened was very real. Her heart was broken into so many little pieces that it seemed beyond repair.

Why was it that every time she felt herself in a good, happy point in her life, something would come barreling down out of nowhere and slam right into it? Every time it sent her life into shambles and made her feel like there was no getting through it. This time felt as if it was the last time this was going to happen, the damage done was enough to keep her life in pieces and there could be no fixing it. 

Maybe she wasn’t meant for happiness. Maybe the life she planned on having and the future she wanted were all just hopeless dreams. None of it was fair but then again she supposed life just isn’t fair. Life isn’t a fairytale, not all stories have happy endings. The hero doesn’t always win, the poor maiden doesn’t always get a new happy life, and the prince doesn’t always get the princess. 

In this very moment Diane wished she was living in a fairytale, not losing the life she desperately wanted. She only wished that she could go back to the beginning of the day and tell herself what to do better and maybe she’d be able to change the outcome of the day. However, this wasn’t a fairytale and there were no magical beings to grant her that wish. This was real life, there was no going back to the past— there was only moving forward.  
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The day had started off as any other, full of love and pure joy. A few weeks after Christmas Diane had finally finished her book and sent it off for publishing. Only days after, with Sam’s help, she moved back home for good. Any editing the book needed would be done from the comfort of their home. The two had been living together in their home for over two months now, it was March and both were as happy as could be. It seemed that life was finally settled, they had planned telling their friends about their relationship soon and had plans for a wedding in May. Life seemed almost too good to be true.

Diane smiles as she puts her arms around Sam’s neck, both being hit by the water from the shower head above. “Are you as happy as I?” 

“That depends...” He watches as her eyebrow raises in question at that then smiles, “if I answer yes does that mean I get more time kissing you?” 

She lets out a giggle at that, he was quite possibly the cutest person alive. She nods, “it’s a guarantee.” 

Sam smiles, “then yes, I’m as happy as you” he confirms and leans down into another sweet, gentle kiss on the lips. 

Diane tightens her hold around him and steps closer, feeling butterflies form in her stomach. They were in such a magical place in their relationship. It reminded her of how they once were when they began dating except a whole lot stronger and understanding of each other. Their growth together and separately since the beginning of their relationship was what kept them strong. She fully intended on keeping that going as they continued to learn and change together. 

Pulling away after a couple of seconds, she gives her fiancé a small smile, “as much fun as this has been my love, I should really get out and get ready for meeting with my editor and publisher.”

“Noo” he whines, grabbing hold of her hand since she had stepped away completely. “Can’t we stay in here just a little longer?” Sam pleads. 

She smiles at his desire to spend more time with her and steps close again. His arms immediately come back around her waist, “pleaseeeeee” he begs before she’s able to say anything.

“You know I wanna stay in here with you more than anything darling but I really should get ready” Diane explains.

He decides not to listen and instead pulls her closer, bringing his lips down to her shoulder and peppering small kisses along it. “Just a little longer,” he negotiates. Eventually his lips find their way up to her neck and gently kiss over an already sensitive area.

That’s where she loses her composure and feels her knees become a little weak. Her hands come up to his hair and her fingers begin running through it. As his kissing becomes more intense she finally gives in, “okay... okay... just a little longer” she hums and lets her eyes fall closed.  
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The meeting with her publisher was where things began to go south. Not immediately but it was the very beginning of what came to be a nightmare of hers coming to life.

Right after the meeting, Diane came home and dove right into cooking dinner. It wasn’t required of her to have dinner ready by the second Sam got home, but she always found it a nice thing to do for him. They shared all of the responsibilities in their home, including cooking but since he wasn’t home all of the time Diane did do just a little more than him. It wasn’t much of a bother to her, he still took care of a lot of other responsibilities and always expressed deep gratitude to her for the things she did. Having dinner on the table when he got home was one of those things, he would praise her each time for it no matter what which always left a smile on her face. 

As she set the table, she tried not to focus too much on the meeting. A lot had happened in just an hour and though her brain was trying to kick into overdrive, another part of her wasn’t letting that happen— not yet anyway. Diane kept reminding herself that she needed to talk with Sam and he would keep her grounded, or at least try his hardest to.

It was only a few minutes later that the front door to their home opened and Sam walked through. Within a few seconds, he comes into the kitchen and gives her his dazzling smile. “Well” he takes in a deep breath, letting the many scents of dinner hit his nostrils all at once, “smells delicious in here.”

Diane walks over to him and laughs, “hello to you too my love.”

“Oh you’re here too,” he jokes and smiles down at her as she brings her arms around his neck while his come to her waist. 

She rolls her eyes and pushes up onto her tippy toes, bringing her lips to his in a quick and sweet kiss. “Did you have a good day today?” she questions after pulling away, walking back over to the table so they could enjoy the dinner she made. 

“It was alright, nothing much happened. Norm finally got a job so we all celebrated that. Carla and I think we finally found a waitress that won’t quit after two days, so all in all, not too bad.” Sam takes a seat down across from her and begins to fill his plate with the spaghetti she had made. “How was your meeting with the publisher?”

Diane takes a sip of her water and swallows hard before answering, “oh, it was fine... they gave me a few edits to make to the novel and overall are excited about what’s to come.” That wasn’t a complete lie but it also wasn’t exactly the entire truth. She did have edits to make but there was more that had been discussed at the meeting, information she wasn’t even sure how to discuss with Sam.

He nods in return, “that’s great, I’m so proud of you sweetheart.”

The compliment gives her a little bit of ease but not entirely, there was still a very long conversation that needed to be had. 

The entire dinner is a blur to her, she still had conversations with Sam and must’ve gave off the appearance that all was okay because he never once questioned if she was acting off. The two were now finishing up washing the dishes together, she needed to tell him the whole truth about the meeting, it was starting to eat up at her.

“Sam?” she questions as she turns to him. Both were standing side by side at the sink, he was scrubbing the dishes while she dried them off and put them away. 

“Hm?” he asks in return, mindlessly handing off the last dish to be put back in its rightful cabinet. 

Diane quickly puts it away and return to him, “can we talk?”

He shrugs in return and turns completely to face her, “what’s on your mind babe?”

She grabs hold of his hand and pulls him out of the kitchen, into the foyer, and over to the living room. It would be best if they were sitting instead. 

Taking a few moments to try and collect her thoughts, Diane takes in a deep breath. Finally, when she feels ready to explain everything she begins, “so the meeting with my punisher and editor. It did go well and they did give me edits to work on but... there’s more.”

Sam nods, “okay... tell me about it. You don’t have to be afraid of sharing this stuff with me, I’m always all ears” he insists.

Those words sent a strike through her chest, he didn’t know what was to come. It pained her even more to have to tell him this news because she knew it would break his heart. Diane hated when Sam was hurt and even more when it was because of her. This wasn’t the first time she had broken his heart either and just that thought alone made her heart begin to break. 

“Mr. Barnes, the publisher, told me that some executives at Warner Brothers came across my novel. They want to turn it into a movie” she explains.

His eyes light up at those news, not knowing the rest of it. Hearing that she was getting an opportunity to make the story she put her heart and soul into made him fill with joy. Sam was incredibly proud of all that she had accomplished. She finished her novel in a little less than a year all while maintaining a relationship with him. He swore that she was some sort of goddess or superhero because he wasn’t sure how she managed to pull everything that she had off so successfully. “Sweetheart that’s great!” Sam doesn’t think to continue listening for more news, he pulls her in for a tight hug right away. 

Diane couldn’t even enjoy his tight and loving hug because of what she hadn’t told him. That wasn’t what she needed to tell him in its entirety. Her eyes begin to prick with tears as he hugs her close. Every one of his sweet little gestures made it more and more difficult to relay the bad news. 

She doesn’t even notice that the tears began to fall until they pulled apart and Sam points them out. “What’s wrong sweetheart?” he questions and instinctively moves closer to her again. 

Wiping away the tears, Diane looks back up at her fiancé, struggling to find a way to break the news to him. Hurting him was the last thing she ever wanted to do. “They want me to move to California and take part in all of it” she whispers. 

It was like a flip of a switch and all of Sam’s emotions went numb. He had experienced this before, right after he watched her step out of Cheers still in her wedding dress with a promise of being back in six months. A promise that their future together was still possible. The same feeling of everything inside of him going numb had returned, not as intensely as then but nevertheless his emotions had been silenced. 

So had the room around them, everything went quiet as she waited for him to say something, anything in return. It wasn’t that she absolutely had to go to California, she could turn them down and keep the story just as a novel but then again how could anyone turn down a career opportunity like this? It could send her out into a new realm of possibilities. 

“I think you should do it” Sam finally says, breaking his silence. 

Another crack strikes through her heart at his words. Did he really want to get rid of her that easily? Was he not going to fight for her to stay? After everything they had been through? 

“Sam...” she begins.

“Diane,” he cuts in and scoots closer to her, taking her hands into his own. “This is an opportunity of a lifetime, even bigger than the book. Everything that you’ve done has led up to this. You have to do this” he insists. 

“But...” Diane couldn’t even find the right words to say. Her heart was slowly breaking into the pieces at his suggestion to leave. They had planned a future together and now all of that was fading away at the suggestion of leaving. How could she leave him behind? They spent so long building their relationship to what it has become and now all of it would be lost if she left. Not to mention, she couldn’t imagine what path it would send him down. Diane would never be able to forgive herself if he fell off the wagon again. Seeing him as a drunk after their first breakup was devastating and the thought of putting him right back in that spot again completely shattered her. 

“Do you remember what I told you at our wedding? You gotta take your shot, sweetheart. You’ve put your blood, sweat, and tears into being a successful storyteller. I’m not going to stand in the way of that” Sam explains. 

The tears spill down her cheeks again quicker than before. How could he say all of these things? She knew deep down that he was only doing what was best for her but those thoughts weren’t prevalent in her mind. The ones that filled her mind were ones of somewhat anger. Why wasn’t he fighting for her? Why did he want to shove her out of the door so quickly? Didn’t he want to start their life together finally? They had plans of marriage in May, they had been discussing trying for children in the coming months, they planned on telling their friends in the coming week about their relationship. Wasn’t he hurting over this? Diane knew that he loved her but right now she wasn’t sure just how much. 

“That’s it then?” her voice cracks as she pulls her hands away from his and stands up. “You’re just going to give up?” More tears come down her face as the anger built up alongside the sadness. 

“Diane—” he tries to begin but she doesn’t let him get a single word out.

“No. You’ve made it very clear to me that you would rather give up everything we’ve built and the future we planned than fight for it. I should’ve known better. We were never meant to be together, everyone else always believed that so it must be true.” The part of her brain that would usually step in with logic and reason had flown so far out the window that it felt like retrieving it was impossible. Diane was absolutely heartbroken by all of this. She stares at him for only a moment longer before storming off upstairs to pack her things. The flight wasn’t leaving until midnight but she couldn’t stand to be in the same place as him any longer. 

Sam gets up to go after her but stops at the top of the stairs when he hears their bedroom door slam shut. What a dumb mistake he had made.   
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Diane adjusts herself in the backseat of the cab and wipes away the tears that had been falling down she cheeks. Ever since she left their house, she couldn’t stop playing the day over in her head. 

There was no doubt that she had overreacted to his suggestion for her to go. After she cooled down, she realized that all he wanted for her was for her to be happy. Still, the heartbreak of him not attempting to fight for their relationship remained. All she wanted was for him to step up and tell her that he didn’t want her to go. That he still wanted to be with her forever and nothing was going to stand in the way of that. 

He gave her no reason to stay, he pushed her away and now she was on her way to the airport. Maybe they’d never see each other again, maybe this really was their final goodbye. Diane hated that it was filled with heartbreak and anger but she knew it was all her doing. The only sliver of hope she had left was the note she left for him on their bed, telling him what time the flight took off and the gate she’d be at.

It was a long shot to think he’d come to the airport telling her not to go. Though he has improved from their first relationship, Sam still had a way of self destructing everything good in his life. She was fully aware that he never believed he deserved any of the joy that came his way. That part of him would always be that way and always believe he’d lose the happiness the second he began to welcome it in. 

Regardless of that, she still held on to the hope that maybe he’d come to his senses and realize that he needed to put himself first for once. He had only a few hours to get to the airport and tell her to stay. Diane wasn’t entirely sure that was going to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEW! the point i’ve been building up to for like the entirety of this story is finally here. let’s hope Sam gets his dumbass together and begs her to stay. Haha but anyway I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to leave any feedback or a kudos if you’d like. Thank you so much for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

The door to their bedroom opens slowly and in steps Sam. He hadn’t been in the room since this morning. The morning, when everything in the world seemed just right. They were both happier than they had been in probably a year. It felt as if nothing could crush either of them. Ever since she moved home there was a new spark in their relationship, they were finally together again and were setting official plans to start their life together. 

Sam kept seeing himself in just a few years time and there was Diane by his side, they were both happy, both successful in their careers, and they had a beautiful little family. They were parents— something Sam had begun to genuinely come around to the idea of. At first when they discussed children, he had been iffy and eventually he came around to actually wanting them. It wasn’t until more recently that he felt as if he could be a decent father. 

Now all of that was gone, his hopes were completely shattered to pieces after the evening together. Sam looks around at the semi-empty room and slowly sighs as he sees a lot of Diane’s belongings were gone. That included her writing journal which she usually kept at her bedside table. Every night he’d catch her either editing her novel or writing something new. Sometimes he’d come home late at night to her writing away and the sight always put a smile on his face. Some days when he’d come home to that he’d tease her and tell her she was working too hard and that she needed to live a little. She never liked it when he joked about that but nevertheless, it always led to either a tickle fight or making love. Sometimes it was both. 

Not seeing the journal in its usual spot felt wrong to him. He had gotten used to seeing it in its spot after living together for over two months. That along with all of the other thoughts that had been accumulating sends a strike through his chest. Sam felt like a massive idiot, worse than he had ever been. Not to mention an asshole too, he shouldn’t have pushed her away like he did. Damn his self destructive nature, he needed more of a control on that. 

Sam shakes his head and takes a seat down on the bed, to which he hears a crinkle below him. He furrows his brows and stands up, facing toward the bed now. On the bed was a note, one that he instantly realizes was from Diane. Grabbing the now slightly crumpled piece of paper, his eyes quickly scan over it,

“ _Sam,_

_ My flight to Los Angeles leaves at midnight. If you change your mind about my departure, you can find me at gate D21. I really hope you come, but if you don’t then know that I love you and I always will.  _

_ Love, _

_Diane_ ”

Midnight, she’d be gone by midnight. Sam glances up at the clock on his bedside table and his heart pounds seeing that it was already eleven. There was no way he could make it there in time. He didn’t care though, there wasn’t a chance in hell that he was going to let her leave. This was his last chance to tell her to stay and he wasn’t going to let it slip away from him. 

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“Flight 450 to Los Angeles is now boarding” the woman’s voice announces over the intercom. 

Diane had been her for a little over an hour, waiting, hoping that Sam would find the note and show up. She looks around one last time and sighs when she doesn’t see his face among the crowd of people waiting in their gates or walking around. 

It was hopeless to think he’d show up. Sometimes Sam could be a real jerk, especially when his stubbornness would come out at full force. He wasn’t going to show up, not after their night together. 

She grabs hold of her carry on and sighs as she makes her way over to the line of people waiting to board the plane. She wished he was here or that she wasn’t here at all. She wished they were at home, cuddling on the couch while watching a stupid movie or sitting in their cozy chair by the fireplace. Diane already missed the feeling of his arms being around her, he always held her so tight. Gosh, she was beginning to ache from how badly she already missed him. It was ridiculous how much he meant to her. 

As Diane approaches the front of the line, she grabs hold of her boarding pass and tries to just focus on the future. Her plans were changed now but she could create a new life, she’d be working on a movie and that was exciting. That thought was what would keep her going, at least for a little while.

Just before she makes it to the front, Diane hears a distant voice calling out her name. At first she just believed it was her imagination but it wasn’t until the voice got closer that she realized it wasn’t in her head. Turning to her left, Diane sees Sam wearing his notable red sox jacket running over to her gate. “Diane! Diane wait!” 

She quickly steps out of line, her heart beginning to speed up at the sight him. He came, Sam actually came to stop her from leaving.

When he reaches her, he takes a brief moment to catch his breath before he starts spewing words, “Diane I’m sorry... so sorry. I know I’ve been a real jerk of you sometimes and especially in the last few hours... but please don’t go. I can’t lose you, not again. You mean everything to me and I love you more than I could ever put into words. Please... please stay” he begs.

The tears come quick and rather than saying anything in return, Diane drops her bag and throws her arms around his neck. She quickly pulls him close and crashes her lips against his in a hard, desperate kiss. His words were all that she wanted to hear and she was extremely relieved that he had shown up. 

Sam brings his arms around her waist and brings her closer. He was relieved too, relieved that she still wanted to be with him after what he had put her through tonight. He’d make it up to her, there was no doubt in that. 

The kiss carries on a little longer than expected, both clinging to each other and scared that if they let go they’d lose one another. The whole world around them seemed to fade away too, as if they were the only ones at the airport. 

“Come on...” Sam murmurs between kisses as he starts to walk forward, “let’s go home” he finishes as their lips continue moving together. 

Diane presses her lips to his in one final kiss and pulls away, a small smile comes to her face as she takes his hand, “okay... we have some lost time to make up for.”

He smiles a little in return and grabs Diane’s bag before he begins to lead the way out of the airport. He absolutely couldn’t wait to get home. 

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A groan comes from Sam as a few of the sun’s rays shine through their window and through the curtains too. They really needed to invest in some blackout curtains, he hated being awoken by the sun. 

“Ah good morning my prince charming” Diane says in a soft voice, her head now resting down next to his. 

“Ughh.... no....” Sam groans and rolls over onto his other side, away from the window and the sun's bright rays. 

“Oh Sammy, don’t be such a grumble bunny” she teases and slides an arm around his torso. Scooting in close, Diane presses herself up against her fiancé’s bare back and presses a few kisses to his shoulder.

She smiles a little as she feels him let out a sigh, knowing that there was no use until trying to go back to sleep.

Sam turns back around and brings a hand to her cheek, “you know... you really get under my skin sometimes.”

Diane nods, another smile coming to her face, “mm I know but you love me anyway” she replies confidently. 

He shakes his head then pulls her in for a slow and semi-passionate morning kiss. The two scoot a little closer to one another and break after a couple seconds, sharing small smiles. 

Sam’s happiness currently was only holding back his fear. He knew they would have to have a conversation about last night and about what was next. 

Diane was feeling the same way, she not only wanted to know what was next for them but also needed to know what last night meant. Yes, he had begged her to stay but what if last night was only a goodbye? What if he needed one final night with her and that was it? She didn’t think that he thought of last night as a goodbye yet she couldn’t help but worry. 

“Hey...” his soft voice interrupts her thoughts as they begin to pile up. 

She pulls her eyes away from the wall behind him and looks into his own, “hm?” 

“You’re doing that thing where you start to stare off into the distance and nervously chew on your bottom lip. What’s on your mind?” Sam knew what little things she did when she was anxious or overthinking, those were only just two habits. 

Diane lets out a sigh, pulling herself up in bed, “you know what’s on my mind.”

He follows right behind and sits up as well, “I was hoping it would be something else... something a little less terrifying” he admits.

Both wanted to avoid the subject at all costs no matter how badly they wanted to know what was to come. Ignoring it was a lot simpler, they didn’t have to think about the future and the possibility of losing each other. 

Turning, she grabs his hand and starts to pull him out of bed as she gets up. “Let’s get in the shower... I need a little more time before we even begin that conversation.”

Sam obliges without saying a word, knowing almost exactly how she was feeling. He was willing to do just about anything to put off the conversation. 

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Their shower together is unlike any other they’ve taken before. Usually, both would take a little bit of time cleaning themselves up while chatting. They would take a little time to mess around too which would always lead to making out and sometimes it led to love making. This shower was different, instead of going about their regular routine, Sam and Diane spent the entirety of the shower under the warm water, holding each other tightly. Neither spoke nearly the entire time, they just held each other close and tried to comfort one another. 

A certain sadness had attached itself to the fear both of them had. If this was their last day together, both couldn’t handle it. Even if it wasn’t, even if they stayed together and kept long distancing except further than before, both were still sad at the thought of not seeing each other for an undetermined period of time. 

Now the two were sitting side by side on the couch as the fireplace in front of them roared away and kept them nice and warm. Neither had said anything yet, not even knowing where to begin. 

“About last night...” Sam begins, finally deciding that one of them needed to end this silence. “I am sorry for not fighting for you. I never meant to paint our relationship as if it was meaningless to me. I just... well, I want you to be happy. I want you to do what makes you happy.”

Diane turns a little and reaches for his hand, “Sam you make me happy.”

He turns too and squeezes her hand, “well you already did me last night sweetheart, multiple times if I might add,” he replies with a small smirk. 

She gasps at that and swats his arm playfully, “Sam!” Though his comment was absolutely ridiculous, it did bring a smile to her face. It also made her feel a little better about having this conversation. 

“Okay okay, I’m sorry” he apologizes and kisses her hand. “It means a lot to me that I make you happy... that’s all I want. I just can’t ask you to give up an opportunity of a lifetime for me... at the end of the day I’m just some guy who got lucky to be with you.”

Diane shakes her head at that, “Sam stop. You’re not just some guy who got luck to be with me. You’re so much more than my fiancé. You’re a successful business owner, you’re an ex-professional baseball player, you’re a fantastic friend, you’re successful recovering addict, and you’re an absolutely amazing lover, life partner, and best friend. If I have to give up this job for you then I’ll gladly do it, you’re my world” she gushes.

Sam feels his heart grow with love as he listens to her. He hadn’t meant to make this about him, self depreciation just came naturally. Leaning forward, Sam gives her a quick and gentle kiss on the lips, “I love you so much” he whispers. 

A small smile comes at that and she whispers the same in return. After he pulls back, the two move a little closer and Diane carries on the conversation, now that it had been started they needed to finish it, “what if keep doing the long distance thing?” Not that she wanted to keep the long distance going, it was extremely difficult, but seemed to be their only option. 

He sighs, “I don’t know Diane... it’s so difficult not having you here everyday. I’m not completely unwilling to do it but... maybe there is another way.”

“What are you thinking?” she questions and raises a brow. 

“Well... say you take the job, instead of moving to California and being there everyday as they develop the script and then as they start filming, what if you stay here? They could send copies of the script your way, you could make changes to it however you want and send them back. When filming starts maybe you fly out for a few weeks to be on set and monitor what’s going on. Maybe I could even tag along and they could give us temporary housing” he suggests. It was only a spur of the moment idea, he wasn’t sure if studio executives would approve or not. 

Her eyes light up at his idea, the fear and sadness beginning to wither away as excitement creeps in. “Sam that’s a brilliant idea! I think you just solved our issue!” Diane exclaims with a big smile, one he hadn’t seen since yesterday morning. 

She then pulls him in for a hug, both feeling relief wash over them. Though neither could be sure if his idea was something the studio executives would go for or not, it was a small sliver of hope for them both to cling on to for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter because I enjoyed writing it a lot. Feel free to leave a kudos or feedback if you want. Thank you for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

“So you mean to tell me this whole time when we thought you were out scoring with babes every night you were going home to call Diane?” Norm questions as the couple stands behind the bar together.

The day to tell their friends about the past nine months and how they had been seeing each other for all of that time had finally come. No more worrying about sneaking around and Diane could finally stop avoiding Cheers. Did she ever miss being here. She felt as if she was back home and that was an irreplaceable feeling.

“Well, yeah,” Sam puts his arm around her shoulder, “we decided that we’d rather stay together and long distance than break up” he explains. 

She looks up at him and gives him a small smile, proud that he was confident in telling their friends about their relationship. Had this been the start of their reconciliation, he would’ve been hesitant and she understood that. That was why they agreed to keep their relationship quiet until they were confident about their future and now, two weeks after they nearly ended their relationship for good, they were more confident than ever.

After some negotiation with the studio executives at Warner Brothers, Diane was able to get a deal of still being part of the making of the movie while while staying in Boston. She had already sent over the final version of her book, which was set to come out in a few weeks. In no time she’d be sent a script and several months down the road, she and Sam would be spending at least a month in California for filming. He hadn’t worked out who would be in charge of the bar but he had an idea of what he wanted. 

With Diane’s career all sorted out, they had officially set their wedding day for May 20th at their home. One of the most important parts left was making sure that their friends were invited. 

“You know I was wondering when you were gonna finally spill the beans, Sammy” Carla says as she sets down her tray and places empty glasses down on the bar. 

Diane raises her brows and she pulls away to look up at him, “you told her?!” she wasn’t upset that he told Carla but she was somewhat upset that he had never mentioned it to her. 

“Sweetheart I meant to tell you when she did but we got a little carried away that night and it slipped my mind. Besides, I didn’t tell her outright... she picked up on it from how I was acting around here and she saw me staring at you during the masquerade ball. I’m sorry I didn’t mention that she knew” Sam apologizes.

She sighs a little and brings her arms around his waist, “mmm well, I can’t stay mad at you. Not that I was very mad in the first place” Dians smiles and leans up, presses a quick kiss to his lips. 

“Oh gross, so this all isn’t just some nightmare I’ve been having since I found out” Carla remarks after seeing them kiss.

When they break, Sam speaks up at that comment. He knew it was just Carla being Carla but still, it did rub him the wrong way. “Come on Carla... don’t you think it’s time to stop making crude remarks about our relationship? I mean this is why we didn’t mention it until now.”

Diane, now back at Sam’s side, glances up at him somewhat shocked. She didn’t think he’d be taking such a step in telling Carla to stop her comments or why they never spoke about their relationship. She was shocked and yet even more proud than she was when he spoke confidently about them. He was showing all of the growth that he had been going through and it only made her love him that much more. 

Silence comes around everyone sitting at the bar, no one having a good response to what Sam had said, not even Carla. He continues on, “look... Diane and I have had a lot of problems in our relationship. We both know that and we both know that you all believe we’re not right for each other. We don’t believe that. We love each other and we’ve spent a lot of time and put in a lot of effort to make this work. We’re confident in our relationship and all we ask is that you try to be happy for us whether or not you like us together.”

Diane smiles as she listens to him speak and reaches down, taking his hand into her own. When he finishes she gives his hand a gentle squeeze before adding, “you all mean a great deal to both of us and we’d really like it if you’d come to our wedding on May 20th.”

The silence returns after both finish speaking. Thankfully it doesn’t last too long because Woody finally pipes in, “well you can count on me to be there. I sure am happy to see you two together again” he smiles. 

She feels her heart fill with warmth at Woody’s sweet remark. He had always been the absolute kindest to her and was one of the few who supported their relationship. In a lot of ways, he reminded her of a younger version of Coach. Maybe that was part of why she felt so connected to him, Coach had always been like a father to her. 

Frasier and Lilith were next to vocalize their support for Sam and Diane’s relationship and confirm that they would be at the wedding. That meant a great deal to her considering her past was Frasier. Eventually, the whole gang comes around to saying they’d be there. All except for Carla, who hadn’t said anything. 

Sam walks over to Carla near the end of the bar, “Carla, you know I’m not gonna get married unless I can count on you being there.”

She looks up at him after a moment, “oh... you know I’ll be there Sammy, I couldn’t miss out on you gettin’ married even if it is to miss chicken legs.”

Diane steps over to Sam and takes his arm in his, “thank you Carla,” she says, ignoring her comment, “we’re very happy that you’ll be there.” 

“Hey I’m not doin’ this for you. Sammy’s like my older brother I’ll be damned if I miss his wedding” she retorts. 

Sam shakes his head, “you know you could be a little nicer to Diane, Carla. After all, she’ll be your boss too after we’re married” he points out.

A long sigh comes from the curly haired brunette, “alright fine. Whit- I mean, Diane, I’m happy to come to the wedding. I hope you both have a very happy life together.”

Both knew this was going to be the most kindness they’d get out of her, so they take it. Diane thanks her before turning to Sam, “I should really get going darling, I have some work to get done but I’ll see later okay?”

He nods and pulls her in for another kiss, this one lasting a little longer than the previous one. “See you tonight sweetheart.”

Diane smiles in return and walks out from behind the bar and toward the door. She felt a new sense of relief, the stress of keeping their relationship a secret was finally floating away.  
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The afternoon had been pretty steady and somewhat stressful for Diane, but it wasn’t a bad one. She had arrived home from Cheers and went straight to the room down the hall from their bedroom which had now become her office. Almost all of her time had been spent making anywhere between minor and major changes to the first rough draft of the movie script. 

It definitely added stress but nothing she couldn’t handle. The day so far hadn’t been all too exciting but it had still been a good one, especially since they had finally told their friends about their relationship and each of them had said they’d be at the wedding. All was well until Diane received a phone call. 

The call was from the one person she never expected to hear from, her own mother. Diane couldn’t even remember when they had last talked. Maybe sometime after she left Goldenbrook? That was years ago. 

The phone call with her mother had turned her mood sour, she was insisting on having her and Sam over for dinner. Somehow, her mother had found out about their wedding and insisted on hosting a celebratory dinner for them. However Diane knew she had an alternative motive, she was having this dinner to deem whether or not Sam was worthy of marrying her. Diane could recall when she did the same for Sumner all the way back when they became engaged. Of course her mother had approved of Sumner, he was a whole lot worse than she was when it came to being snooty. Well, worse than her old self. Diane did pride herself on not being as bad as she once was with her elitist ways. She had Sam to thank for that and everyone else at Cheers. They had really grounded her and showed her that the people she once looked down upon weren’t as bad as she was taught they were when growing up. 

Sitting back in her chair, she grabs the telephone off her desk and gives Sam a call to tell him about their change of plans for the evening. It wasn’t exactly easy to say no to her mother, so they’d have to try to get through the dinner together. 

“Cheers, Sam Malone speaking” he answers right away. 

“Hello my darling, are you busy?” 

“Hi sweetheart. I was a little busy doing some paperwork but if my sweetie wants something I’m more than happy to push my work aside for her.”

Diane smiles at that, making her feel slightly better after the conversation with her mother. “I’m sorry to say what I want to tell you is not very exciting.”

“Ah come on, I’m sure whatever it is I can handle it” Sam assures.

She sighs, “well my mother called about twenty minutes ago.”

“Your mother? I didn’t know she even had our number.”

“I gave it to Boggs in case of emergency. She gave me a call and somehow she found out about the wedding. Now she’s insisting on hosting a celebratory dinner for us tonight” she explains. 

“That doesn’t sound so bad. I know you haven’t spoken to her in years, but I’m sure it’ll still be an enjoyable dinner” Sam replies, not knowing that there was more to it. 

“Yes, well, that’s the thing. Every time I’ve become serious with someone, she insists on having dinner with them to deem them worthy of being with me...”

He pauses for a moment, “and what? You think I’m gonna embarrass you?” he asks, suddenly becoming defensive. 

“Sam” she begins, shutting that down immediately, “it’s nothing like that and you know it. It’s just... yes, you aren’t like my mother and that is why I love you. However, she looks down upon that and I don’t want her making you feel bad for not being elitist.”

Diane loved that Sam wasn’t elitist, she had no interest in being with someone like that anymore. As a friend was fine but as a lover, not so much. Besides she loved that they didn’t everything under the sun in common, it definitely did bring challenges especially when they’d try to experiment doing whatever the other liked. Being different from one another also made their relationship interesting and they always seemed to keep each other on their toes. They were happy and she didn’t want her mother trying to stand in the way of that. 

“Then I’ll do my best to impress her. I’ll work a little bit of Sammy magic and she’ll love me by the end of the night” he replies confidently. 

Diane holds back a sigh, not wanting to argue with him. Maybe the evening would go as well as he believed. She just needed to give her mother the benefit of the doubt, perhaps she had changed.   
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Later that evening, Diane and Sam arrive at the doorsteps to her childhood home. It was much bigger than their own and they even had to go through gates before even reaching the front porch. Her mother most certainly was never one to answer the door so she expected it to be Boggs or perhaps the housekeeper. 

“Wow... you grew up here?” Sam questions, astonished at not only the neighborhood full of luxurious homes but also at her own immaculate childhood home. 

She feels a burning in her chest, feeling ashamed to admit that she had grown up in such a wealthy neighborhood when she knew Sam didn’t have the same experience. When she was younger, she never saw an issue with where she was raised nor what she was raised to believe. As she became older and opened her mind more, Diane realized money was not as valuable to her as it was to everyone else in this neighborhood. She had certainly seen the classism that took place everyday in her neighborhood and realized she didn’t want to be like everyone else there. She wanted to work hard for her money and be proud that she earned it. Never once did she ever want to live off her wealthy parents’ fortune.

Glancing around at the beautifully kept front yard and at a few other homes she saw everyday for eighteen years, Diane nods, “indeed I did, but this place hasn’t been home to me for many many years.”

She then takes a step forward, holding his hand in her own and rings the doorbell of the home. Now her stomach was beginning to do gymnastics, flipping over and over and not stopping. The thought of how this dinner was going to go really made her nervous, she didn’t want Sam to feel as if he wasn’t worthy of marrying her because that was the furthest thing from the truth. 

Moments later, the door opens to an older woman in a purple housekeeping dress and she smiles, “you must be Diane... come in, come in” she insists.

Giving Sam’s hand a squeeze, she steps into the home and glances around expecting to feel a rush of memories return to her and a feeling of home hit her. Except, that doesn’t come. Instead all she feels is her nerves for the evening intensify. Taking in a deep breath, Diane reminds herself that it was only one dinner that they had to get through and that was it. She could do that, right?  
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Wrong. The dinner had started out alright with small talk and awkward silence. That was something Diane could handle, however once the questions to Sam about his life began to fly from her mother’s mouth, things quickly went downhill. 

Again, it had started off alright with Sam explaining that he too was born and raised in Boston. She admired that and admired that he was a successful business owner, however when her mother began digging deeper, things began to fall apart. It started with asking Sam where he went to college and him replying that he didn’t. Strike one to Helen Chambers deciding if her adult daughter’s fiancé was good enough for her, as if that was her decision.

Now she was questioning Sam about life after high school and if he had been married before and Diane was beginning to become even more nauseated. It would only be a matter of time before her mother really dug into him and made him feel terrible. God why did she bring him here? He didn’t deserve to have to put up with this, not even for her.

“So you didn’t go to university... what did you do after high school before you know, getting married incredibly young?” Helen questions.

Sam sets down his glass of water, “well.. actually my senior year of high school I was offered a spot in Major League Baseball and became a relief pitcher for the Sox.”

“Ah I presume that went well for you?”

“Uh... no, no not if you consider spiraling into alcoholism and drinking yourself out of the major leagues successful” he replies and takes another sip of his water.

For some reason he hadn’t been expecting to air out all of his dirty laundry like this over dinner. Sam could feel the judgement coming off of Helen with her glares, judgmental eyebrow raising, and her overall tone. He already felt bad for not being as bright as every other man as Diane has been with or as sophisticated and wealthy, Helen only intensified this for him. 

“Ah I see...” she remarks coldly and carries on eating the salmon dinner as if it was nothing. 

Sam clears his throat, “if you’ll excuse me, I don’t think the salmon is sitting quite right with me” he scoots his chair back and steps away from the table. 

Diane tries to grab his hand but as soon as she does, he was already too far away. A pang hits her in the chest as he leaves the dining room, she never should’ve agreed to this dinner. 

“He’s not worth your time Diane” her mother’s voice comes from the other side of the table.

Turning her head back in the direction of her mother, Diane pushes down the anger as it begins to bubble. “Mother, you have no right to say that to me.”

She pushes it off and carries on, “He has no formal education, he’s an alcoholic-“

“Ex-alcoholic” Diane cuts off.

“Regardless, he drank himself out of a career. He mentioned he’s been married before and he doesn’t even have the slightest bit of wealth. He’s unworthy of a woman of your class and sophistication,” she explains.

More and more anger bubbles up as she listens to her mother speak, but she holds down an outburst so things wouldn’t escalate. “You don’t know anything about him mother, you have no right to say he is unworthy of me.”

“What’s one good reason to marry him? What is he going to provide for you?” she questions. 

“Love. I love him and he loves me. He’s willing to give me everything under the sun if that means I’ll be happy. He’s going to provide me with a happy life, one full of love and understanding. He’d do absolutely anything for me and our relationship. That means more to me than any sort of money that another man could provide” Diane shuts down her mother’s questioning. 

That response sends her quiet and Diane gathers herself from the table, “I think we should get going... Sam isn’t feeling well anyway.”

Just as she says that he steps back into the room and nods, having heard all of the conversation. He was torn between being hurt by Helen’s comments and being immensely grateful for Diane’s. Walking over, he slide Diane’s hand into his own, “I'm sorry we have to cut the evening short, Mrs. Chambers, but I feel that I may be coming down with something and it’s best that we return home. Thank you for having us for dinner” he says. 

“Sorry to see you two leave so soon, feel better soon” Helen replies without remorse. 

Diane bids her mother a quick and short goodbye before leading the way out of the house. The dinner had gone just about as she expected regardless, she still felt bad for putting Sam in this position. Hopefully an evening of cuddles and kisses could make up for the way her mother had treated him.   
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The car ride home was for the most part silent, every time Diane would try to chat Sam would just give one worded responses or just answer with “mhmm”. It didn’t help the guilt she was harboring for putting him through the dinner, she just wanted to tell him that her mother’s opinion didn’t matter to her in the slightest. 

The silence remained when they arrived home as well, both quietly standing in the foyer as they peeled out of their jackets and shoes. She was beginning to become somewhat frustrated with this silence, she wanted to have a conversation about the dinner and remind him that she loved him.

Sam steps down from the foyer and begins to walk toward the stairs, he wasn’t quite ready to talk about their night. He needed time to himself to get his thoughts and feelings in order before he began to think about having a conversation. 

As she sees him go toward the stairs, Diane quickly follows after. “Are you alright? You’ve been awfully quiet since we left.”

Stopping a couple stairs up, Sam turns and nods, “I’m okay sweetheart... I just need some time to myself.”

“Oh, okay... well I’ll be down here if you need anything. I love you” she reminds him. 

He nods again, “I love you too.” Turning back toward the stairs, Sam makes his way up them. He then goes into their bedroom and straight for the bathroom, deciding that a long hot shower would be a good way to clear his head. 

Watching as he disappears upstairs, Diane lets out a sigh. Only seconds later and she was back over at the foyer, putting back on her shoes and her jacket. She knew one way of many ways to make her fella feel better and that was exactly what she was going to do. 

Twenty or so minutes pass and Sam’s hot shower was still roaring on. Usually he wasn’t one to take long showers at all but it’s standing under the hot water had a way of making his mind focus less on the disastrous evening. It also helped him think about what he was going to say to Diane when they were going to have an inevitable conversation. 

While he’s showering, Diane steps into their bedroom having just arrived back home. In her hands was a tray carrying a sandwich from one of Sam’s favorite sub shops. She knew that it was one of his comfort foods and besides, they never exactly finished dinner. Placing the tray down on his bedside table, she quickly tiptoes over to her dresser and begins to her changed into something a little more flimsy for him. There was nothing like food and a little love making to raise his spirits. 

A few minutes later and she was dressed up in his favorite black lace nighty. Quickly, she spritzes on some perfume and applies some chapstick. She had considered gloss but it was always so messy and he didn’t particularly care for the taste of it, so she opted for plain chapstick. 

Just as she’s adding finishing touches, Diane hears the shower turn off and races to the other side of the bed to grab the tray. She planned on greeting him with the food while dressed for a night of passion, two things he loved. 

Only a few minutes later and Sam steps out of the bathroom wearing nothing but his grey sweatpants, a favorite of Diane’s. She smirks as she sees him, “hi there sexy.”

His brows raise at the sight of her but he quickly smirks when he sees the nighty he loved. “Well hello to you too, what’s all this?” 

She steps forward and offers the tray with his favorite sandwich on it, “mm just a little apology for the way our evening went. I thought I should make it up to you.”

A small smile comes to his face as he notices where the sandwich was from. She had gone out of her way just to get him a sandwich to make him feel better, that warmed his heart. “I won’t say no to a good sandwich and a beautiful woman.”

Diane smiles and offers her hand, “come on, let’s sit so you can enjoy both.” Once he takes her hand, she leads him over to the bed. Before she can pull him down to sit though, he puts aside his tray and quickly brings her in for slow kiss on the lips. 

At first her eyebrows raise but she soon melts in his arms and brings her arms around his neck, humming as their lips move together. As the kiss continues, a grumble comes from Sam’s stomach causing her to pull away with a giggle, “I think that means that now would be the best time to have your sandwich.”

Sam laughs and nods, sitting down on the bed with her at his side. Reaching over, he grabs his tray and begins to unfold the wrapped paper on the sandwich. “Thank you for going out of your way to get this for me.”

Diane shrugs and takes hold of his bicep, resting her head down on his shoulder. “I felt bad for our disastrous evening and I know you never got to finish eating so I figured a sandwich from your favorite restaurant would make you feel at least somewhat better.”

The two stay cuddled up even after he finishes eating and she mindlessly traces her fingers along his bicep. “Do you feel up for talking about what happened?” she questions after a long bit of silence.

Maybe it better to approach this as a question, if he didn’t want to talk then that was okay. This opened up the chance for him to choose that way she wasn’t demanding him to talk about his feelings if he wasn’t ready or didn’t want to. 

“I think sometimes I forget that you come from a background like that. I mean, you still have your ways that differ from mine like your love for the opera and dragging me to every art show or museum possible. I’m more than okay with that, I like our differences. You don’t treat people the way your mother does and I know you warned me but I guess since you’re so incredible I had my expectations set a little too high” Sam replies instead of answering the question outright.

Pulling back to look at him, Diane smiles, “so what I’m hearing is that you think I’m wonderful” she teases, trying to make light of the situation.

Sam turns more toward her and nods, “don’t go making this about yourself now” he replies, teasing right back.

She presses a hand against his cheek, “in all seriousness... I am sorry for the way she treated you. You’re so much more than your bumps in the road. I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished and I’m even more proud to get to call you my husband in a few months.”

“Hmm husband, I like the sound of that. I can’t wait to refer to you as Mrs. Malone” he smiles.

Crinkling her nose, Diane shakes her head, “Mrs. Chambers-Malone.”

“Ah come on, don’t you want to be a Malone?” he complains only as a way of teasing her again.

She pretends to consider for a moment then shakes her head, “after hearing you call me Mrs. Malone I think I’m going to have to reconsider” she returns. 

“Oh are you now?” Sam then suddenly begins tickling her and adds in attacking her with kisses.

A squeal comes from Diane as she falls back onto the bed and begins giggling furiously. “Ahh! Sammy noo!!” she squeals and tries to squirm away from his tickle attack but it was to no avail. 

About a minute later, he pins down her wrists to the bed and both take. second to catch their breath. “Okay...” she pants, “you win you win, Mrs. Malone it is.”

Sam smiles and leans in close, “alright Mrs. Chambers-Malone” he murmurs before planting his lips on hers in another slow but more passionate kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to leave a kudos or some feedback if you want. Thank you so much for reading and I shall see you all soon with my next update <3


	13. Chapter 13

The days flew by and soon turned into weeks which turned into months. Two months to be exact. May 20th was finally here and Diane was about ready to throw up from her excitement and her nervousness.

In the past two months, their bond grew stronger. There was nothing like almost losing each other once again to bring them even closer than they were before. Each time they grew closer and Diane found herself falling more in love with him, she thought that it couldn’t be possible to fall for him even more but she consistently found herself being wrong about that. That was one of the only things she was perfectly fine with being wrong about.

Along with their relationship blossoming further, her career had done the same. Her novel had finally been released at the end of March and though it had only been close to two months, she was already a success. Not quite a best seller yet but she was working her way there. Not to mention, in the next couple of months the production team in Burbank at Warner Brothers Studios would be gearing up to begin filming her movie. Her very own movie. The script still had some finalizing that needed to be done but overall, they were getting that much closer to production. July was when she and Sam were set to be staying in a nice home not far from the studio for a month. It was scary to think they’d be in a new city for an entire month but as long as they had each other, they would be alright. 

She lets out a breath that she didn’t realize she had been holding and looks into the mirror at Lilith, who was helping her get ready for her big moment. In the past two months they had finally gotten a chance to rekindle the bond that had formed when they were locked in the bathroom at Frasier’s home. After spending a little bit of time together, they had finally started to build a lifelong friendship. 

“Welcome back, fantasizing again?” Lilith jokes. 

Diane rolls her eyes and smiles, “no... just thinking about how excited yet nervous I am for the next few hours.”

Lilith continues on pinning up Diane’s hair, “Nervous?”

She slightly shrugs, “I’m just afraid something will go wrong... like last time. I couldn’t bare breaking Sam’s heart again, I’ve done that quite enough.”

“Diane you overthink too much. Nothing will go wrong today, just remember that you’re marrying someone who is head over heels for you. I’ve never seen a man so in love before” Lilith admits.

Diane quirks a brow at that, “really? How about Frasier?”

“Oh Frasier’s in love with me, that’s obvious to anyone. However, Sam is so deeply invested in you and would walk to the ends of the Earth if you asked” she explains.

A small smile comes at her comment, she knew Sam would do absolutely anything for her and that never failed to make her heart warm. Diane would do anything for him too, never had she quite been so in love before. 

“I suppose you’re right, today will be perfect” Diane agrees, trying to be more positive about the day. It was sure to be nothing short of perfect.  
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At least, perfect is what they were hoping for. It was several hours later, just half an hour before the ceremony was supposed to begin. Sam adjusts his tie in the mirror of the guest bathroom just down the hall from where Diane was getting ready. As he’s adding some final touches to his look, a knock comes at the door to the guest bedroom. 

Shuffling out of the bathroom, Sam goes to the door and answers it to Woody standing on the other side. He smiles, “there’s my best man. You got the ring?”

“Uh you see... that’s what I came to talk to you about Sam” Woody responds in a worried voice. 

His heart starts to take off in a full sprint at Woody’s words and his voice. Sam then grabs him by his jacket and pulls him into the guest room so Diane wouldn’t hear their conversation in the hallway. “What do you mean? Where’s the ring?” he questions in a lower voice. If Diane heard any of this she would only become more stressed than he knew she was and incredibly upset. It wasn’t like the ring was the most important thing but either way he knew she cherished it and never took it off once while they were in a long distance relationship. 

Woody clears his throat, “you see Sam... I had the ring in my bedroom in my apartment for safekeeping and I woke up this mornin’ and it was gone. I must’ve misplaced at some point.”

Sam lets out a sigh and begins looking around the room, unsure of exactly what to do. They had half an hour left until the wedding and if there was no ring, then really how could there be any wedding?

“Ah gee I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin your big day. I just wanted to be the greatest best man there ever was and I screwed it up” Woody apologizes.

He shakes his head in return, “no Woody it’s okay. We’re gonna fix this, we just need to go over to your apartment and tear the place apart until we find the ring.” Sam then leads the way out of the guest room and gets ahold of Frasier, telling him to do whatever he can to distract the girls while they were gone.

Quickly, Woody and Sam get into his Corvette and begin to speed off right away. His nerves immediately intensify as he drives, what if they couldn’t find the ring? What if they didn’t make it back in time for the wedding and Diane is left crushed thinking he ditched her on their wedding day? Hopefully the wedding ring was just misplaced and they’d make it back just before the wedding begins.  
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Thirty minutes passes by in a blink of an eye. The wedding was supposed to be starting except they were missing one very important factor: the groom. Diane was oblivious to this, she was confused as to why they weren’t staring. Where was Woody? He was supposed to be walking her down the aisle. 

Stepping out of their bedroom, ready to marry the love of her life, Diane looks around the hall at her friends who were standing around chatting in very hushed tones. This made her suspicion rise even more and her stomach do a 180. “What’s going on? Why haven’t we started?”

Lilith is first to look up and over at Diane who was struck with confusion and worry. What had happened? Why wasn’t she going down the aisle? Memories of their first wedding begin to flood back as the worry begins to take over when she doesn’t get an answer right away. All she was met with was a look of somewhat sadness from Lilith.

After a couple more seconds, the dark haired woman walks up to her, “we can’t find Sam.”

Those words nearly knock her off her feet, what did she mean they couldn’t find Sam? He wouldn’t have just ran off like that. Sure in the past he was afraid of commitment but once a man proposes about six times, that goes away. There was no way he would’ve just ran out on their wedding day. “What do you mean? He has to be here.” Her brain had immediately jumped to denial, she couldn’t accept the thought that maybe he left her on their wedding day. 

“I don’t know. We looked all over the house for him and he’s not here, neither is Woody for that matter” Lilith explains.

Woody was gone too? That didn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t they both run off like that? Her emotions were beginning to flood together: confusion, worry, hurt, all three were running through her at once. 

Glancing over Lilith’s shoulder, she notices Frasier quickly avoiding eye contact with her and how awfully quiet he was being. What did he know? Diane pushes past Lilith, a new emotion being added to the mix: anger. She grabs the psychiatrist by his collar, “what are you not telling me Frasier?”

“I-I-” he stutters.

“Where is my groom Dr. Crane?! Where is he?!” She was growing increasingly upset. Diane was supposed to be reciting her vows by now, not holding Frasier by his collar demanding to know where her husband-to-be was. 

Lilith walks over, “whatever you know cinnamon bear just tell her.”

“I-I don’t know where. All I know is that Sam asked me about half an hour ago to distract you two while they went somewhere. I assumed he’d be back by now” Frasier spills.

Diane promptly lets go of his collar and sighs, none of this was making sense. Why had both Sam and Woody left? If he asked Frasier to distract her and Lilith that meant he had to be returning right? Then where was he?

That question wasn’t left to ponder for long because only a minute later she hears the front door to their home open and footsteps rush in. “I’m here! I’m here! Don’t call off the wedding!” Sam shouts, believing that Diane was out back waiting on him.

Instead, as soon as she hears his voice, she rushes down the stairs and toward the foyer. Relief hits her like a ton of bricks when she sees him standing in the foyer with Woody just off to his left. “Sam!” 

It was hard to get to him quickly in her wedding dress, with the train being so long but when she reaches him, she throws her arms around him in a hug. Her initial reaction was joy because he hadn’t up and left her like the back of her mind had been trying to convince her. 

Pulling away, Sam catches a complete look at her dress and how she looked overall and felt the wind get knocked right out of him. She was absolutely stunning in her dress, even more so than he could’ve ever expected. However before he can even comment, Diane was questioning him.

“Where” she hits his chest once, “were” a second time, “you?” a final gentle blow at his chest. She wasn’t trying to hurt him but definitely get the message across that she was upset with him for not being here and for leaving her worried.

“Diane I’m sorry there was a situation with the ring... Woody and I rushed back to get it and we thought we’d make it back in time” he apologizes.

Woody then steps forward, also apologizing, “Miss Chambers it’s all my fault. Sam put me in charge of the ring and I couldn’t find it before I came over so we rushed back to my apartment to look for it. Don’t be mad at Sam, he wanted to make sure your big day was special.”

Diane considers for a moment as she looks over at the sweet boy from Indiana who reminded her so much of Coach. He had nothing but pureness in his heart and it was impossible to be mad at him, “oh Woody, it’s alright” she assures. 

Looking back at Sam, who had now put on his puppy dog begging eyes, Diane can’t help but crack a smile. “Oh stop. You know I can’t be mad at you” she then steps forward again and pulls him into another tight hug.

“Uh, I hate to break this moment that nearly makes my ice cold heart feel slightly warm, but there’s a small crowd of people outside waiting to see you two wed” Lilith says as she comes into the foyer. 

Both pull away and smile at one another, “you ready?” he asks. 

Diane nods, “I’m ready.”  
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Diane walks down the aisle with Woody at her side, holding on to his arm as they went. She was dressed in a pure white a-line gown. She was covered in dainty lace from the illusion neckline covering her heart-shaped bodice down her arms until the cuff of her sleeves. The lace ran down the train of her dress behind her. She was simply elegant, and she was the most beautiful bride to Sam. 

He was beyond speechless by her beauty, seeing her inside their home had been one thing but seeing her coming down the aisle was a completely different experience. There was a certain glow that was radiating off her as she approached him with Woody. Neither one of them could wipe away their smiles as they kept their eyes locked on one another. 

Finally, when she finally reaches the altar, Woody parts ways with her but not before she gives him a kiss on the cheek. Diane then steps up and the two finally join hands, both still smiling like idiots. 

“You look insanely gorgeous” he says quietly, knowing the ceremony was about to begin.

Her cheeks fill with red, “and you look as handsome as ever” she says softly. 

Standing behind the two at the altar were Lilith right behind Diane and both Woody and Frasier right behind Sam, everyone else was watching from their seats. 

The justice of the peace then steps forward and begins to speak, “we are gathered here today to unite these two people in marriage. Their decision to marry has not been entered into lightly and today they publicly declare their private devotion to each other.” He then turns to Sam first, “I was informed you both have vows you’d like to recite?”

Sam nods, “yes. I’d like to go first.”

The justice of the peace nods and allows him to begin with his vows. 

Adjusting his posture, Sam takes a second to let his nerves wash away before beginning his vows, “Diane... for a very long time I never believed marriage was for me. I thought being a bachelor for the rest of my life was the way that my romantic life was going to be. I never thought about morality... or integrity or any other philosophical stuff, but then you came into my life and suddenly I started thinking about those things. You got right under my skin and fought hard to bring down the brick walls I hadn’t even realized I had put up. You made me want to be a better person, not just for you, but for myself too. When we first started our relationship I fell very hard very fast and it scared me, you’re the first person I had actually fallen in love with in a long time. I’ve never really believed in soulmates, I still don’t know if I do. However, if they are by chance real, then I believe that they’re not found - they’re made. That’s exactly how I feel about our relationship. Our road to where we are now hasn’t been easy, but I’m so grateful for every bad moment in our relationship because it only made us put even more effort into making this work. You’re my everything. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being as loving, as caring, as patient, as kind, as everything that you are with me. I’ll try everyday for the rest of our time together to repay you for everything that you’ve done for me and for us.”

The tears stream down her cheeks faster than she could even fathom as she listens to him speak. The way she felt about him was indescribable. He meant the absolute world to her and more. All of this was feeling like a dream.

Without missing a beat, Diane begins her own vows after his, “Sam, nearly six years ago I was left on my wedding night by the scum of the Earth. He brought me to and left me at a place that I would soon be referring to as my home. You told me that night as I sat at the bar, my whole world crushed, that I was going to find someone a whole lot better for myself than that goofy professor and were ever right about that. I found someone whom I never expected to fall in love with. Someone who recognizes that we’re not the same but still loves me for who I am. I found someone who listens to me when I’m down. You are the only person who has been there for me since the day we met and I’ll be eternally grateful for that. Every single bump in the road along the way only made us grow and become that much stronger. Sam, you’re my world, my love and my light, my yang to my yin, my absolute everything. Life without you is not a life I can fathom anymore. I will always be at your side until the end of time, that is a promise.”

Sam tries hard to fight back his tears since he wasn’t one to cry often, especially not in public. Hearing everything she had to say though made it impossible and a few tears manage to escape, quickly streaming down his cheeks. Both were smiling wide again, unable to contain their happiness.

The justice of the peace speaks again after a moment, “and now: do you Samuel Malone take Diane Chambers to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others, and holding onto her forevermore?”

Sam nods, “I do.”

“And do you, Diane Chambers take Samuel Malone to be your husband? Do you-” he’s suddenly cut off by an overly excited Diane.

“I do, one hundred thousand percent I do.” She couldn’t even sit through his questions, she needed to say I do right away and be declared married. The excitement was way too much for her to contain. 

A chuckle comes from some of the crowd and both the justice of the peace and Sam. The justice of the peace then looks to Lilith and over to Woody, “may we have the rings please?”

Turning, Diane takes hold of Sam’s silver band and quietly thanks Lilith before turning back to Sam who was now holding her ring as well. 

“Diane and Sam will now exchange rings as a symbol of love and commitment to each other. These rings mark the beginning of their lifelong journey together. Diane, please place the ring on Sam’s left hand and repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed.”

“With this ring, I thee wed” She repeats and takes hold of his left hand, gently sliding the band onto his ring finger.

Sam does the same just after her and the two step a little closer, both eager to finally seal this marriage with a kiss. 

“And now by the power vested in me by the state of Massachusetts, it is my great honor to declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Sam wastes no time and grabs Diane around her waist, pulling her in for a passionate and loving kiss. Her arms land around his neck and as they’re sharing this moment, applause erupts around them from their friends. 

The two then part and take hands once again, beginning to descend from the aisle, the justice of the peace announces, “I am pleased to present you with the newlyweds, Mr. Malone and Mrs. Chambers-Malone.”  
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A giggle comes from Diane as Sam opens the front door to their home while carrying her over the threshold. “Welcome home Mrs. Chambers-Malone” he says with a big smile as he carries her into their home.

“Mm yes it looks so much different from just a few hours ago when we wedded” she teases.

Both were no longer in their wedding attire since they had gone to Cheers just an hour after the ceremony and it was a lot easier for her to dance in a dress that didn’t drag so far behind her. Before they had left though, she had let Sam do the honor of helping her slide out of their wedding dress which led them to getting sidetracked but only for a small amount of time since Diane insisted on consummating their marriage after their reception. 

He laughs, “hey I was trying to make a moment of this. Maybe I'll just make you walk to our room instead.”

A gasp comes from her, “nooo no no no I’m sorry Sammyy please don’t make me walk pleasseee.”

“Mm well, since you asked nicely I guess I’ll keep carrying you” he replies as he makes his way up the stairs. 

Diane leans in and begins pressing quick kisses all over his chest and then the left side of his face, “have I mentioned that I love you?” she beams.

“Maybe once or twice...” Sam shrugs and finally reaches their bedroom. 

She rolls her eyes at that and rests her head back down against his chest as brings her into their bedroom. Reaching their bed, he gently lays her down on it and take in the full sight of her. His eyes travel up her body and to her own stunning sapphire eyes. There was a different feeling looking at her and staring into her eyes like this, now they were married, they were a single unit that functioned together. At one point Diane being the only woman in his life for the rest of time scared him but now that was all he could ever want. There was no one else he could see himself spending the rest of his life with. 

“Something wrong darling?” she questions, he had been staring just a little longer than usual. 

Sam shakes his head simply replying, “this is the first time I’m really looking at my wife” he says with a smile and looks her up and down one more time, “and she’s the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes on.”

Diane’s eyes well up at that and with a beaming smile she replies, “well my husband isn’t so bad himself.”

Both share a laugh before she grabs hold of his hand and pulls him down on top of her. Their lips meet in an increasingly deep and hungry kiss. As their lips move as one, Sam reaches beneath them and pulls the disheveled sheets up over them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I’m honest, I was afraid of doing a wedding chapter because I didn’t want it to be very cheesy but I like how this turned out. I really hope I live up to y’alls expectations when it comes to a wedding for these two. Feel free to leave any feedback or a kudos if you’d like. Thank you for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

The sun begins to slowly peak up over the horizon, beginning a new day in the beautiful state of California. Sitting in a chair out of the balcony that was attached to their bedroom all wrapped up in a blanket, Diane watches as the sun rises. She hears birds begin to chirp and the sound of a few cars driving along the road just below her, all was peaceful. Watching the sunrise was beautiful to her, the entirety of Southern California was absolutely gorgeous. They had only been here a couple of weeks but Diane would be lying if she said she hadn’t fallen in love with it already. 

They had managed to find time to explore Burbank and other parts of Los Angeles and even managed to take a weekend down to San Diego. All of it was beautiful beyond words and getting to experience it with her favorite person in the entire world made it that much better. 

As of now, she was alone but it was pleasant to have a little bit of alone time from time to time. Only a few days after arriving in Burbank, Diane had decided to get up early and watch the sunrise as a way to take the quiet time to herself when she wasn’t needed by anyone nor did she need to do anything. She wasn’t necessarily a morning person but with her body still used to Eastern Standard Time, it was already nearly 9 AM there and she was usually awake by then if not before. 

Not hearing the sliding glass door open behind her, she slightly jumps when she feels Sam’s large hands rest gently on her shoulders. “Enjoying your morning with the sun?”

“Well I was until you decided to scare the daylights out of me” Diane teases. 

He chuckles and presses a kiss to her head, “Sorry sweetheart I thought I might join you at least once in these mornings with the sun.”

She smiles a little and scoots forward in the chair, “well then you have to hold me,” she insists. 

“Hey I won’t argue with that” Sam smiles and slides into the chair behind her. She then settles into his lap and smiles as his arms come around her. 

“Oh and one other rule, no talking” Diane insists. 

“You? No talking? That’ll be a challenge” he teases.

She gasps at that, “hey!”

Sam takes hold of her hand and presses a kiss to it, “I’m kidding I’m kidding. Let’s enjoy this peaceful morning together.”

Diane smiles at that and leans back, pressing a kiss to his cheek before settling in a little more to his embrace. They had spent every morning together since she moved back home in late December and when they first started living together over a year ago but she would never get used to the feeling of having him there everyday. Every morning she’d wake up to him by her side or cuddled up together in bed and it was one of the best feelings in the world.  
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After their quiet and rather enjoyable morning together, the two take a shower together before parting ways. The one thing about being here for Diane to work meant leaving Sam to find his own thing to do until she got home. That did make her feel somewhat bad because it wasn’t like they both were going off to work, it was just her. So far it seemed like he was finding ways to spend his days without her but leaving him alone in a new not only city but also state, did make her feel somewhat bad. Every morning he assures her that he’d be fine alone and that exploring the city and neighboring cities was fun for him. That at least made her feel better about being gone for a vast majority of the day.

Being on a film set was new to her and not just in the aspect that she had never been on any type of set but also the way the hours worked. Most days the actors would be there for at least 12 to 16 hours but sometimes they’d be held even longer for redoing scenes or other important factors to getting the movie as perfect as possible. Crew members could be there even longer, making sure that sets were perfect for when actors would arrive and that everything is ready to go so that they can at least try to finish a day early. 

Diane was lucky to say that she didn’t have to worry about the odd hours too much. There was no waking up at 5 AM to be there or working until 3 AM for her. They let her choose her own hours considering she was one of, if not the most important people on set. This was her story so everyone from the director to the actors wanted to make sure everything was being translated how she wanted. It was fun to play the boss-like figure in this situation. She was used to following orders and even though she wasn’t making too many demands, she still enjoyed having this feeling of being in charge.

On the other hand, while Diane was working hard, Sam was sitting in traffic as he waited to get to Santa Monica Pier. They hadn’t quite explored every part of Southern California and Santa Monica was one of those places they hadn’t hit. He thought maybe he could take a drive down to the pier and see if maybe it would be a nice little place to bring Diane to later in the evening as a way to relax after a long day at work. 

After at least an hour or so stuck in traffic and another half hour of sitting in the back of the taxi, he finally arrives at the pier. Once his driver is paid, Sam begins to make his way around. He starts off with exploring the pier itself which was something he could get lost in for hours. Though the pier itself may not be Diane’s cup of tea, he thought he could at least get her on the ferris wheel. That and he had the perfect idea to come back later, Sam had taken note of many boats out on the ocean and knew there was no better way to spend their evening than a romantic sail out on the sea. Now he couldn’t wait to bring her back out here, they hadn’t gone sailing in a long time.   
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“I’m thinking for the scene where Milo is afraid to admit his love for Sophie could be done with a little more passion. I really like how it was done in the last take but I think one more with just a smidge more passion will really seal the deal on this” Diane inputs as she chats with the director. In her hand was a notebook in which she had been scribbling note after note and writing down ideas she had during filming of different scenes so she wouldn’t forget them when giving her input. 

Her chat with the director is cut short when an assistant on set walks over, “Mrs. Chambers-Malone, there’s someone here to see you.”

In reaction to that, her brows raise. She wasn’t expecting anyone to be seeing her, it wasn’t like any of her friends were in Southern California and she was sure Sam was off exploring while she was working. “Okay thank you Rose, please let them know I’m on my way.”

Looking back at the director, “I’m sorry for the interruption, John. I wasn’t expecting any visitors” Diane apologizes. 

Waving his hand, John insists that she didn’t have to worry. After all, it wasn’t as if she was an actress or a crew member. She did play a crucial role in the development of this film but taking some time for a break wasn’t going to hurt anything. 

Walking over to the exit, Diane steps out of the studio and is met with the sight of roses being held in the hands of a smiling Sam. “Hi sweetheart” he greets.   
It was a couple hours after his little adventure to Santa Monica and he thought maybe surprising Diane while at work would be sweet little gift for her.

A pout comes to her lips when she sees him standing there, it was so relieving to see his face. Her day so far had been somewhat stressful so having a familiar face lifted some of it. “Hi my love... what are you doing here?” 

Handing over the flowers, Sam steps a little closer, “well I thought you could use a short break with your husband. Take you out of the stress of the work for a few minutes before diving back in until your day is over. Oh... and to ask you something.”

Diane takes in the sweet scent of the flowers in her hands and smiles, “well this is a very sweet and much needed surprise. Why don’t we go over to the cafeteria? I’ll go tell the director I’ll be back in fifteen, work for you?” 

Sam nods, “however much time you can take is fine just as long as I get to see my girl for a little while” he smiles.

He watches as Diane steps back inside the studio to make sure the director knew she’d be taking a longer break. It was somewhat difficult to make time for each other because she was still navigating all of this. Of course, the job on set was only temporary so he couldn’t complain too much. However he couldn’t help but miss her. Only a couple more weeks and they’d be back in Boston and back in the swing of seeing each other a little more regularly.

Several minutes later and the two were sitting at a table in the cafeteria not fair from the studio her movie was being filmed in. “So this is what a movie studio feels like” Sam chuckles as they sit across from each other, holding hands. 

Diane laughs, “well the cafeteria isn’t quite the highlight of it all but it certainly is nice.” It felt good to make some jokes with him. Though she was enjoying every minute of being on set, it was more serious than say being on the set of a sitcom. She hadn’t laughed much today and funnily enough, all of her laughs had come from his stupid jokes. 

He presses a kiss to her hand before looking into her eyes, “but really... I hope you’re having a good time here. I can’t wait to see the story adapted to the screen.” Diane’s book was one of very few books that Sam had read and it was one he had thoroughly enjoyed for not being a book reader. 

A smile comes to her face and she nods, “I am, it’s still so surreal that it’s all coming to life before my eyes. I’m so glad I was able to find a way to make this work while still being with you. Having you here supporting me is the best part of all of it.”

“Ah... I’m sure there’s been more enjoyable things than having me here. I will say I’m happy to support though.”

“I mean it Sam” Diane says, suddenly getting up from her seat and coming around to sit right next time. “Doing this alone would’ve been difficult. You encourage me to get out of bed every morning and make the most of it.”

Sam smiles a little at that, “I’m not sure how I do that but I won’t argue further about it.”

“Good because you do even without saying those words. You’re my motivation Sammykins” she confirms.

“Oh boy don’t tell me that nickname is back” he complains. 

Diane raises a brow, “I thought you loved that nickname?”

He quickly glances around and confirms that they were alone before turning back, “okay okay, you caught me. I love the nickname.”

A giggle comes from her and she grabs him by his cheeks, pulling him in close, “I love you Sammykins” she smiles before capturing his lips in her own in a short and sweet kiss. “Oh by the way, what was it that you wanted to ask me?” she questions as break but stay closely to each other on one side of the table. 

“If you could get off around our usual dinner time tonight. I know some nights you stay late but... I had this idea of a romantic sail on the sea and I’d rather do it before we’re both ready for bed.”

Diane giggles at that, “A romantic sail on the sea? Count me in, I’ll talk to the director when I get back and let him know I can’t stay past five” she smiles, resting her head down on his shoulder. They still had at least ten minutes of her break left so she planned on using every last second of it.   
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Looking out over the handrail of the boat and down and the gentle waves moving below, Diane lets out a happy sigh. It was really nice to take a date night with Sam instead of staying in at their temporary home. “A glass of white wine for the lady” Sam says as he steps beside her and offers the glass. 

Smiling, she takes the glass and clinks it with his own filled with water when he raises it. They had already enjoyed a delicious dinner and were now enjoying each other’s company and the calm sea below them. 

“You know, I think the last time we were on a boat was when...” Diane trails off remembering the last time wasn’t exactly pleasant. 

Sam shifts a little, “when you turned down my proposal” he says finishing her sentence.

“Well I wasn’t going to even say it when I remembered but... yeah. I’m sorry for that Sam, it was ludicrous of me to turn down the sweetest proposal I’ve ever heard” she apologizes.

He shrugs and takes her hand, “I mean I will admit out of all six of my proposals, I’d say it’s my best” he jokes.

Diane turns to him and sighs, “still… I am sorry, I feel bad about it even to this day.”

“Sweetheart you do realize we’re standing here married right? I’ve very clearly forgiven you. Besides, you did have every right to turn me down I was proposing just after Janet broke up with me and you thought it was nothing more than a rebound. I understand that more now” he explains. 

She squeezes his hand and brings him over to a seat not far from where they were standing. “If I’m honest, I’m surprised you’re not married to Janet right now. You seemed... well, very happy with her.”

He shrugs and sets down his glass of water on the table in front of them. “I think I did love her, but I wasn’t in love with her. She broke up with me because it was very apparent who I was crazy about. I mean, I talked about you all the time” Sam admits.

Diane can’t help but giggle at that and moves closer to him after she sets down her glass too. “Did you really?”

“I’m afraid so” he confirms.

“That’s incredibly adorable” she smiles and presses a kiss to his cheek. 

Sam smirks, “well if you like that, there’s plenty more.”

“Oh uh huh” she says and brings her arms around his neck whenever he turns turns her, “I’m positive there is” their lips quickly meet again in a slow, heartfelt kiss. 

As their kisses usually do, this one quickly heats up, both filled with more desire by the second. One of his hands was already sliding up under her skirt while the other held her at the small of her back. His lips meanwhile had moved passed her own and down on toward her neck, already sucking and biting. 

“Mm... mm... you’re really trying to make me melt aren’t you?” Diane hums as her own hand holds his head against her neck while the other begins to tug at his shirt.

That however comes to a halt when his only response to her was his hand moving further under her skirt and his actions on her neck only intensify. This brings a moan out of her and a sudden new urge to rip every article of clothing off of him.

Bringing Sam off of her neck, Diane quickly pulls his shirt off and tosses it off to the side. She smiles when she sees his bare upper half in front of her and brings her hands to his chest, rubbing against it gently, “mm finally” she hums before crashing her lips back on his. Immediately their hands get to work on pulling each other out of their clothing.   
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The stars were shining bright and what a beautiful sight it was to share with her favorite person. The two were now laying on a blanket and under another on the boat floor, wrapped up in each other’s arms while staring up at the starry night sky. 

“You know we should probably get back soon” Sam says after a long while of silence.

“What’s the rush? Can’t have enjoy a romantic night of stargazing with your wife?”

Shaking his head, he replies, “no no, I’m loving every minute of this. It’s just that I rented the boat until 8:00 and unfortunately it’s 7:30” he informs her.

Diane pouts at that but willingly sits up and begins to look around for where all of her clothing had fallen. It was too bad they had to end their night so soon but either way this date was one of her favorite ones they had gone on since coming to California. She had no doubt enjoyed their other ones such as driving to San Diego and spending a weekend there but this one felt special. She was sure it would stick out in her memory the most when it came to dates here. 

After getting dressed and a twenty minute ride back to shore, Sam and Diane step off the boat hand in hand. As they’re walking down the dock together, Sam’s eyebrows raise as he notices who was heading in the direction of the boat. Besides him and Diane, it was only her and her date on the dock. It was Janet Eldridge. 

“Well... fancy meeting you here” Janet greets in a fake voice, not acknowledging Diane at first glance.

Needless to say, Diane was shocked to see her here. Of all places in the world she was somehow here at the same time as they were. They weren’t even in Boston which was where she would’ve expected to run into Janet at least maybe once. 

“Janet, lovely seeing you again. You remember my wife, Diane, right?” he questions, making sure to be clear that they were married now. It was strange to see the woman who made him realize that he wanted to marry Diane standing before them but in a way it felt full circle. Now here they were after two years after the proposal and after two years of ups and downs, finally married. 

Her brows raise at that, a mixed look of shock and hurt plastered on her face. Janet turns to Diane, “ah wife? I guess Sam was able to make a commitment after all” she replies with somewhat of a hostile tone. 

Diane gives a fake smile and nods, “yes well I wasn’t going to let anyone else snag him” saying the least she could so they could leave and move on with their night. 

“And is this your husband?” Sam questions, gesturing toward the man standing awkwardly off to Janet’s right as he witnessed this entire interaction. 

“Boyfriend actually” Janet corrects.

Sam nods, “guess settling down wasn’t so easy after all” he replies also in a hostile tone before stepping off to the side. “Well, it was nice seeing you but Diane and I should really get going” Sam quickly puts an end to that interaction by stepping forward and leading Diane away from Janet. 

She smiles a little as they make their way off the dock and out toward their rental car, “I’m really glad you referred to me as your wife. It was nice to see the look on her face when she heard it.”

Sam chuckles, “well someone had to let her know I’m very capable of commitment and very very happy with the woman she was so afraid of.”

Both begin to climb into the car, “Very very happy?” she smiles. 

Sam turns to her after turning the car on and nods, “Happier than I’ve ever been sweetheart.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the last chapter of Back to You. Fear not because I am writing an epilogue and it will be up just before Christmas or the 25th if you don’t celebrate. Feel free to leave a kudos or feedback if you’d like and thank you so much for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

Epilogue 

It was a warm yet somewhat breezy October night, arriving home from a long day at work, Diane opens the door to their home and steps in. She was now a literature professor at the Boston University. Usually she was home before dinner but with meetings, papers needing to be graded, and a few tutoring sessions it brought her home at 8 PM instead. 

Sliding out of her brown jacket, she places it on the coat rack near their door and leaves her shoes on the mat just off to the right of the door. Her keys come to the key holder and once she’s finally situated, Diane makes her way down the two steps out of the foyer and approaches the living room.

The fireplace was roaring away, filling the area around it with a cozy heat. In front of the fireplace and fast asleep was Sam and laying on his chest also fast asleep was their two year old son, Ernie. Diane smiles as she steps in front of the couch and sees the two asleep together. From the day Ernie was born, he and Sam had bonded immediately. Every time she watched the two interact made her heart melt. Just as Diane and their four year old daughter Elizabeth were, he and Ernie were two peas in a pod. Of course both children still adored the other parent, there was nothing but unconditional love that all four of them shared for one another. 

Diane kneels down in front of the couch near the end where Sam’s head was resting. She brings her hand down to his forehead and gently brushes back a strand of hair before pressing a kiss to it gently. 

As soon as she pulls back she’s greeted by the sight of a now smiling Sam, who woke up when feeling the kiss. “Hi darling” she says softly so that she wouldn’t disturb Ernie who was still sleeping.

“Hi sweetheart” he returns.

“How are my boys?” she questions with a smile. Her favorite part of everyday was coming home to her family. Most days, Lilith or Woody’s recently new wife, Kelly, would take both children to daycare while they worked. Diane was usually done around one so she was back with them before they even realized. Sam usually would be home four and either would help with dinner or make it. At least twice a week they would also try to take days off so that they could all be together as a family. Neither wanted to miss out on their children’s lives. 

“Well, one of them is very tired and then there’s Ernie” he jokes.

A quiet giggle comes from Diane at that, “I take it you had a good day off with them?” She unfortunately couldn’t take the day off as well, but as long as Sam thought their day together was good, that was what mattered. 

Sam nods, “we had a fantastic time. I’m sure Elizabeth will tell you all about it in the morning.”

That brings a smile to her face, Elizabeth loved telling her absolutely everything she could. They had a very close relationship and it was her hope that they would stay that way. “I’m sure she will.”

He reaches out for her hand, the other still gently holding onto their son as he slept. “How’s mommy?” Sam questions.

“Mm well...” she sighs a little, “mommy’s had a very long day today. Her feet are very swollen, she almost threw up when one of her colleagues opened an egg sandwich in front of her, and baby won’t stop kicking her organs.” Diane was five months pregnant with their third child and though she did very much love pregnancy and carrying their child, the side effects were not so fun. 

Squeezing her hand, Sam brings it to his lips and kisses it gently before looking back up at her, “I’m sorry sweetheart. If you’d like I can get a bath going for you and then maybe I can give a massage” he offers.

“Oh that sounds delightful... you’re my hero” she smiles.

He gives a smile and shrugs as if it was nothing, “I try my best.”

Diane giggles then looks down at Ernie, still out like a light on Sam’s chest. “Why don’t I take him to bed and you go get the bath drawn hm?” She then slowly and gently begins to pick Ernie up who starts to stir as he feels himself being lifted. “Oh I know my sweet prince, I know you’re tired. Momma’s gonna get you to your warm crib okay?” Diane says soothingly while rubbing her hand along his back.

Sam watches as she calms their son and feels his chest grow with warmth. She had a way with their children that made him fall harder in love with her. Her motherly instincts had kicked in the second they found out that she was pregnant with Elizabeth. They both went through a lot of learning with her and were still going through it but from day one, Diane has always been a natural when it comes to taking care of their kids. He was always amazed and filled to the brim with love each time he witnessed it.  
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Diane gazes down at Ernie sleeping peacefully in his crib and she can’t help but smile. He looked so much like Sam, nearly identically except for the features that were hers. He had her ears and her nose but everything else was all Sam’s. Even right down to his adorably charming smile. 

“You know my sweet prince, you’re so cute... just like your daddy. I think you’re a lot cuter than him, but don’t tell him I said that” she smiles and leans down for a kiss on his forehead. 

“I guess daddy’s lost that battle” Sam jokes from behind her as she’s leaning down. 

Jumping up and turning, she softly gasps, “Sam!” she exclaims quietly and pushes him out of the room by his chest. When the door to Ernie’s room is closed she gives him her usually fake stern look, “you’re supposed to be filling the tub mister.”

“What I couldn’t come to tell my son goodnight?” He quirks a brow in response.

“I didn’t say that... but go ahead and kiss him goodnight but after go get the tub filled or the wrath of your pregnant, sore, cranky wife will be unleashed” Diane warns. 

His hands come up at that, “yes ma’am. We don’t want to unleash the beast” he jokes again.

She smiles at that and steps out of the way of the door, “I’m going to go check on Elizabeth. I’ll meet you in the bathroom soon” Diane informs before walking down the hall a little and slipping into their daughter’s bedroom. 

The purple painted room that Elizabeth had insisted Sam to paint that color was lit by only her hello kitty night light. Under the sheets decorated with different Disney princesses was their four year old daughter, her ever growing golden blonde locks scattered all over her pillow. Instantly a smile comes to Diane’s face as she approaches the bed and gently sits down.

Her fingers gently begin to run through her daughter's hair as she recalls when she first discovered that she was pregnant with Elizabeth. It was August, only about a week or so after they had returned from California. The queasiness had kicked in almost instantly. The thought of being pregnant wasn’t what first crossed her mind. They had agreed on trying for children maybe toward the end of that year but knew it would happen when it did. After taking a test and seeing that it was positive, Diane was thrilled. She had even decided to do a little surprise for Sam, putting out an extra set of silverware and a plate at dinner that same night and when he questioned it, she just casually mentioned that it was for their baby. He was over the moon with the news, possibly more excited than she had been. 

Nine months later and then Elizabeth came along and joined their little family. It wasn’t easy at first, especially because Diane had to back out of the final month of overseeing filming of her movie due to her doctor telling her flying in her final trimester wasn’t the best idea. It was a good thing though, filming happened at the end of March and beginning of April and she had gone into labor only the second week of April. Even if she would’ve been able to fly, she was so glad she didn’t have Elizabeth in California. They were much more prepared at home in Boston anyhow. 

The movie was sent to her first a year later and she had absolutely adored it and sent back her approval. On opening day, the movie had been a box-office success due to how popular her book had become. In the time between making the movie and getting it to the big screen, her book had become a bestseller. That was something to this day that still shocked her. So did the movie being the success that it was. The book hit closer to home though because that was the origin of the movie and all of it had come from sleepless nights, endless amounts of effort, and times where she wanted to give up. Not to mention during the whole writing process she was balancing a long distance relationship with Sam. None of it was easy but it all paid off in the end.

Here they were four years later and Diane was sitting next to just one of the lights of her life, another growing inside of her at this very moment. She gives her daughter a kiss on the head after a little more reflection, “I love you my so much sweet girl. I hope you’re dreaming of rainbows and butterflies, see you in the morning” Diane whispers.  
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Walking into the bathroom about five or so minutes later, Diane smiles as she sees the tub filled up and full of bubbles too. Sam was just stepping back from turning it off when she came in. 

“My queen,” he gestures to the tub, “your relaxation awaits” Sam then steps back and walks to the door to leave her be for her soak in the warm water. 

Turning, she looks back at him and before he can leave she says, “where are you going?”

He stops in his tracks and lets go of the door handle, turning back toward her. “I figured you’d want some alone time to relax sweetheart” he explains. 

“I’ve had quite enough alone time today. I would really like it if you joined me” Diane mentions. 

It wasn’t much of a question for him, Sam steps back over to her and gives her a small smile as he grabs the edge of her top to take it off for her. “I’d love to join you.”

She smiles in return as he begins to undress her, “I’m sorry if I've been somewhat snappy and crabby with you. My mood swings have been all over the place today and all of the stress on top hasn’t helped” Diane apologizes.

He shrugs in return and lets her step out of her underwear, “it’s okay. This is your third pregnancy and I know what you’re like some days. You can’t help the mood swings and I know I don’t know what you’re going through but I try my best to be a good husband and be there as you go through this.” The first pregnancy had certainly been a learning process for both of them, understanding that mood swings were part of the pregnancy and that any fights they had weren’t meant to be taken too far to heart. Usually they’d argue over small, stupid things and eventually would make up. They were pretty good at making up. At this point, Sam had learned to not let any comments she made get to him. It wasn’t that she was mean but she could snap sometimes and be upset with him however he knew that it was her hormones and almost right away she’d realize what was happening and apologize. 

Diane’s eyes well up at that, his comment really hitting her in the heart and the mix of her emotions being high just made the tears fall. Having someone so supportive of her during this time while her body went through so many different changes and her hormones were completely out of whack, meant so much to her. 

“Oh no no don’t cry sweetheart” he suddenly panics a little, hoping that these weren’t sad tears. He wasn’t sure if this was a mood swing or her being so happy she started to cry. His hands come up to her cheeks and instantly start wiping away her tears.

She smiles and shakes her head, “I’m just so happy. You are the greatest husband in the whole world.” Her arms then come around him in a tight hug and a few tears drip onto his shirt. 

Pulling away, she wipes her cheeks completely and sniffles, “I’m sorry I’m sorry, my emotions got the best of me. Let’s get into the bath before it gets cold” she chuckles.

She walks over to the bath and steps into the warm water first, letting out a sigh of relief as she lays back against the wall of the tub. This was the first time all day that she had let her muscles finally relax and feeling was pure bliss. 

A minute or so later after getting undressed, Sam steps up to the tub, “okay sweetheart tell me where you want me. Across from you or holding you?”

Her eyes come open again for a moment, “is that even really a question? Holding me of course” she smiles. 

A chuckle comes from him, “should’ve known better, my bad.”

Only a couple of minutes later and the two were settled in together in the tub, Sam’s arms around her just below her belly with a loose grip. Resting her head back against him, Diane’s eyes fall closed again as she lets her body fully relax and try to let some of the stress drift away.  
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It was another half hour until the two were settled back into bed, exhausted but not quite ready to sleep. Diane’s head was resting down on his chest as he held one arm around her. She was on her left side which meant her bump was resting right up against Sam, who didn’t mind at all. He could feel the occasional kick and that made him smile.

“I think the massage is going to have to wait until tomorrow... I’m way too tired to sit back up” she sighs.

His hand gently rubs up and down her sore back anyhow, trying to give her even the slightest bit of relief. “If that’s what you want, that’s fine by me” he agrees. It was hard to see her so tired and in so much pain knowing that he couldn’t take it away. He’d never understand how hard all of this was on her but the best he knew to do was to just be by her side and take care of her every chance he could. That came naturally since it was something he already did everyday before she was pregnant. 

“You know...” Sam starts, continuing his gentle back rub, “I’ve been thinking about something and it’s all your choice, not mine but... have you considered maybe stepping back from teaching? I know you’ve only been doing it since Elizabeth could walk and talk but I’m worried it could be taking a toll on you” he explains, expressing his concern. 

Diane considers for a moment, “I don’t know. I do enjoy teaching but it does leave me tired a lot... it’s not too hard on me outside of pregnancy. I know I can handle it, I did it with Ernie.”

He nods, “like I said, it’s your decision. I just want what’s best for you and your happiness.”

A smile comes to her face at that and she sits up a little in bed, turning and leaning back to gently kiss his lips. “Thank you for caring, I’ll give it some thought.”

Giving her another kiss, Sam nods again “that’s all I ask.”

Diane rests her head back down on his chest after one final kiss and tries to relax. She was glad that tomorrow was Saturday and all she really needed to do tomorrow was take a look at a couple of essays. Maybe do some writing on her next work, since that was still part of her life. She had published some poems and was currently working on a book full of them. Writing was still a passion of hers she held near and dear to her heart. 

Before she even realizes it, with all the back rubbing and the relaxing thump of Sam’s heart right near her ear on his chest, Diane finally drifts off to sleep. Today had only been one day that was stressful, thankfully not everyday was like that for her. Overall her life was more than she could have ever asked for. Six years ago she wasn’t even sure if she and Sam would even stay together. Now here they were with two kids and one on the way, happier than either imagined. Even eleven years ago when they first met neither thought they’d end up here together and so madly in love. 

The world did work in mysterious ways. An unlikely match found each other and got a good feeling about what they had. They worked hard through their ups and their downs, and though there were times both believed they’d never end up happy together, here they were. Neither Diane nor Sam would trade their rollercoaster of a ride together for anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow here we are, the epilogue. I honestly love this fic so much and I really hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I put a lot of my heart into this and I’m truly proud of it. I owe a massive thank you to my friend Mayee who proofread every single chapter, helped me when I was stuck on certain plot points, and overall supported me in writing this. Thank you so much Mayee.
> 
> I also owe a massive thank you to all of you, the readers. If you’ve taken your time to read every single chapter and even the notes here at the end, thank you. Thank you for your support, it motivates me to continue to write and means a lot to me.
> 
> One final thing before I go, I will be taking a small break from writing. Nothing big just a break for the holidays. I do have another fic that I’m planning out and will most likely begin posting in 2020. If you’d like to keep up with me you can follow me on twitter @chambrsmalone (my cheers account) and @dianesmalone (my main acc where I talk about every show I love). Until the next fic, happy holidays to you all and I will see you in the new year. 
> 
> Much love ❤️


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